A new era in the treatment of hepatitis C (HCV) is upon us. New products are coming, new players emerging, and new knowledge of the virus surfaces every day. AbbVie, along with competitors, is set to change the treatment paradigm, and share of voice will be critical to a brand’s success.

As such, the AbbVie disease state awareness campaign set out to do two things:

• Establish AbbVie as a major player in the HCV space

• Educate HCPs on the seriousness and unpredictability of HCV

Enter the “Master of Elusion” disease state awareness campaign. Using a clean and simple visual paired with a powerful headline, it memorably illustrates how HCV eludes the immune system, treatment, and understanding.

This integrated campaign used print advertising, out of home media, conference immersion, personal selling tools, and a deep digital presence to surround our target audience with experiences that reinforce the elusiveness of HCV. Banner ads and direct mailers drove physicians to CTHEVIRUS.COM, an interactive website highlighting the elusiveness of HCV, while robust detail pieces allowed sales reps to inform physicians in person.

The campaign rolled out at the 2013 Liver Meeting in Washington, DC.

Fleeting glimpses of HCV were seen across airports, train stations, and the sides of vehicles, directing physicians to the AbbVie booth. Once there, they were met with a full-scale reproduction of the “white room” featured in journal ads that debuted in November. Viruses dashed out from under cups at an interactive coffee table, replicated on the booth walls, and evaded destruction in a Duck Hunter-style game. Visitors were invited to expose a Master of Elusion by putting up virus stickers at the booth, which AbbVie matched with charitable donations. Everywhere you looked, there was HCV—and then it was gone, out of sight but top of mind.

Physicians for whom the conference itself proved elusive were still able to learn about HCV in other ways.

• CTHEVIRUS.COM, a site that embodies the very thing it provides education on—impactful and ever-changing

• A suite of rep-delivered sales materials

AbbVie stole the show at AASLD, garnering incredible booth traffic and raising $75,000 for charity with their bag drop donation program. Physicians lined up to see the evasion station, marveled at the infographic videos, and even appropriated several of the 3D-printed viruses placed around the booth.

To date, the results of the website have been stellar. In its first three months, CTHEVIRUS.COM received over 80,000 unique visitors, four times the number of actual HCV treaters in the country. It has already set a new standard in the category—one that will be raised only as new updates are applied over the course of the next year.

Sales reps have referred to both the detail pieces and the leave-behind series as the best they have seen and the easiest to use. The email series and banner ads have click-through rates well above industry standards.