In the treatment of wet AMD, retina specialists are required to administer the treatment to their patients in the doctor’s office, requiring retina specialist practices to purchase the product from the manufacturer (Genentech) to have in stock for their patients. It was important for Genentech to raise awareness of its product among these important businesses to inspire purchase and use of its product, VABYSMO.

Nearly 20 million people in the U.S. live with wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD), a serious eye disease that causes vision loss and can lead to blindness. It mostly impacts older adults, many of whom are desperate to preserve their vision in their golden years. Many retina specialists, the doctors who prescribe and administer the treatment, believe in VABYSMO as a reliable treatment for these patients, so much so that most would even use it to help preserve their loved one’s vision. In a category that is saturated by clinical content to communicate with doctors (treatment claims, data, and side effects), “A Beautiful Sight” stands out by raising the profile of VABYSMO through emotional, highly crafted storytelling to elevate a unique brand claim. Ultimately it stands to remind doctors of the important role they play in preserving our vision, and the trust they have in VABYSMO to do it. We chose to launch it the month leading up to Mother’s Day in the U.S. to raise awareness of the impact of our mothers on our vision for the world, and those doctors who care for their vision when it’s at risk.

Inspired by true stories from retina specialists that treat their mothers with VABYSMO, and a survey that 95% of retina specialists would use VABYSMO to care for their loved ones, we saw a great opportunity for unique content to promote the brand. The brief was to develop a film that elevated this and to do so in a way that was focused on emotional storytelling without clinical product claims. The objective was to reinforce the value of VABYSMO as a trusted treatment among retina specialists in a category where peer influence is critical.

Our mothers shape our vision for the world, so when their world is at risk due to vision loss, how we care for them means everything. That is why nearly 95% of retina specialists would use VABYSMO to care for their loved one’s vision. Inspired by true stories of doctors who treat their mothers with VABYSMO, “A Beautiful Sight” is an animated short film that elevates the importance of caring for each other’s vision. From the son’s perspective, we watch as his mother shapes his vision for his life. As they age, her vision worsens, and he takes steps to become a retina specialist. In the final scene the tables have turned, his mother becomes his patient, and he must care for her. The film uses facial expression mapping, vibrant environments, scenes that cue vision, and a custom film score to enhance the craft and memorability for doctors.

The strategy was to unveil a beautifully crafted film in the month leading up to Mother’s Day through a live screening, as well as on the VABYSMO website and social channels for retina specialists and the AMD community to view, be inspired, and share. Retina specialists were the primary audience, with ophthalmologists and the greater eye care community as secondary audiences. By ending the film with the powerful statistic that 95% of retina specialists would use VABYSMO for their loved one’s vision we inspired retina specialists with limited awareness to consider the treatment based on peer influence.

The short film was publicly screened for retina specialists and promoted on the VABYSMO branded website. It was launched publicly in early April with additional promotional efforts made leading up to Mother’s Day in early May.

Sales:

Sales data is not yet in as this initiative has only been live since early April.

Engagement:

There are over 10,000 views of the video on the website (as of this submission) with an average time on site of 4 minutes. Web traffic to the site has doubled since the launch of the video.

Reach:

Reach data is not yet in but there are only 3,000 retina specialists in the United States of which all have been targeted.

Achievement against business targets:

Initial surveys show a 40% increase in brand awareness among retina specialists, and a 70% increase in positive brand perceptions. These should result in increased sales however data is not yet available.