Situation

For approximately 99% of adults over 50 years old who have had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles remains dormant inside the body. It can reactivate later in a person’s life and result in painful rash called herpes zoster or shingles; the risk increases as the immune system naturally declines with age. At APhA, GSK introduced SHINGRIX the first shingles vaccine approved in more than 10 years.

Brief

GSK wanted pharmacists to know that SHINGRIX was not just new. It was more effective and protected patients longer than the only other available shingles vaccine in the marketplace.

Objectives

The objective was to introduce SHINGRIX in a stand-out fashion and engage medical conference attendees in a manner that would educate them about the efficacy, safety and improved results of SHINGRIX. GSK highlighted the product’s improved performance to drive immediate demand for its product.

The SHINGRIX Experience was a mixed reality engagement that clearly—and memorably—educated attendees about shingles and SHINGRIX.

The centerpiece of the environment was a life-size “SHINGRIX Man” that pulled attendees into the exhibit. The futuristic head gear and the attendees actions while they were wearing it, heightened curiosity among passing visitors.

HoloLens technology engaged attendees with the product information. Using an air-tapping motion, attendees activated content and moved at their own pace through the high-tech presentations.

Content focused on highly desirable product differentiators to drive product demand. Attendees used their HoloLens to learn that SHINGRIX is the first new shingles vaccine in over ten years, and that it delivers a dramatic efficacy improvement (>90%) versus the only pre-existing vaccine (50-64% effective).

Gamification added an element of fun, as attendees used the HoloLens to aim “SHINGRIX vaccine” at invading varicella-zoster virus.

At APhA 2018 (attended by pharmacists), GSK created a centerpiece experience for the SHINGRIX exhibit that stood out from the noise of the exhibit hall and created a must-see engagement for show-goers.

The strategy included the creation of a “hero” element for the space – a life-size, SHINGRIX-red, polygonal “Vitruvian Man”-like sculpture. The SHINGRIX man centerpiece served as an attractant to draw attendees off the aisle and into the space. It was encircled with interactive stations presenting a unique HoloLens experience, that engaged booth visitors and educated them about SHINGRIX and shingles in a fun, memorable, and cutting-edge tradeshow interaction.

Using the HoloLens headset, attendees could explore product information at their own pace, including the safety profile, brief product insert, and study references. Then go on to play a fun game where they raced against time to use the SHINGRIX vaccine to wipe out invading varicella-zoster virus.

Attendees were invited to put on a set of Microsoft HoloLens, a state-of-the-art wearable, head-mounted, mixed reality technology. These “smart glasses” enable wearers to view the real outside world, such as our life-size SHINGRIX polygonal mannequin, while also viewing augmented content superimposed onto that world as well.

After the facilitators helped them adjust the headsets for a comfortable fit, attendees took a position around the SHINGRIX mannequin and began their holographic experience.

Attendees began by tapping on icons which used holographs to describe how SHINGRIX worked. After this educational introduction, a gamification element challenged participants to see how many patients they could protect against shingles. In this time-sensitive round, attendees “airtapped” on virtual bubbles emanating from the SHINGRIX man, each identified with a different age prone to shingles (i.e. 57 Years old). Players earned points for each age group virtually vaccinated via air tap.

Results from the first activation of the HoloLens SHINGRIX Experience:

• 314 booth scans

• 139 HoloLens Experience scans

• TOTAL SCANS = 453 for 10 hours that the exhibit hall was open to attendees

One indicator of the marketing program’s effectiveness is product demand. By the end of 2018, GSK had to increase production in order to meet the demand for SHINGRIX vaccine.