Although approximately 2.8 million people worldwide have multiple sclerosis (MS), there’s more to MS than many people realize. The disease has many symptoms, some of which patients struggle to manage. Additionally, articulating the impact of these “hidden symptoms” and their own treatment preferences is challenging for many patients. Even when discussed in the exam room, these topics are often overshadowed by clinical measures.

The goal of this campaign was to 1) use a unique creative approach, anchored by illustration, to connect with patients and 2) pull them into a disease education campaign capable of fixing the broken conversation between people with MS and their doctors regarding hidden symptoms and unaddressed needs.

“It’s like you’re operating as a grayscale version of yourself.”

“It’s like you’re weighed down with chains.”

These are real words from people with MS. To them, the hidden symptoms that accompany their condition can be life-altering. What if we could legitimize those concerns and prioritize them in the patient-doctor conversation by bringing their vivid descriptions to life in a way that was impossible to ignore?

To do so, we talked with patients around the globe to understand the impact of MS – capturing their unfiltered, moving descriptions of life with hidden symptoms. Then, we brought these powerful insights to life with attention-grabbing illustrations that stood out from everything else in the market.

Patients try to "manage" the hidden symptoms of MS and don’t always express the incredible impact these symptoms have on their lives to their doctors, who mainly focus on what can be measured by an MRI. Even when these patient concerns are discussed in the exam room, they’re often rationalized away by the HCP (and even by those living with MS) as exhaustion from work, stress, parenting, or simply aging. Moreover, the fact that you can’t see these hidden symptoms means they’re not prioritized as a legitimate health concern despite the toll it takes on their lives.

The More to MS program launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, so we ensured our program met our customers at home as they navigated the complexities of a pandemic while managing a progressive disease. Though anchored by a stand-out illustration style, the campaign was also an omnichannel initiative, targeting HCPs and patients through a dynamic, evolving website, banner ads, emails, and social media as well as personal communications to reach HCPs.

The results for More to MS have been astonishing. We’re in the process of bringing more patient stories to life as we expand the campaign to show more of the hidden symptoms of MS.

• More than 50x client benchmarks for DTC visitors and sessions

• 117% above industry average viewability rate for 30-second spot

• More than 79,000 video views across social over 4 weeks