The target audience is people living with relapsing MS (particularly those on Rebif or looking to switch to Rebif from their current medication) and secondarily their care partners or others who care about people with relapsing MS.

In the United States, pharmaceutical advertising is the most tightly controlled form of commercial speech. Any mention of a specific product requires inclusion of safety information about potential side effects. The regulating body (the FDA) acknowledges the failings of the current system, but is bound by existing laws and regulations. Creative approaches were required to ensure that when specific products were mentioned, regulatory requirements were met, and in other communications, consumers still received valuable messages despite the omission of any specific product.

Our challenge was to reignite interest in Rebif, a gold standard in multiple sclerosis treatment for 14 years. Some of the newer treatments seem easier to live with, rationally speaking. But MS is not rational. It’s unpredictable. Everyone responds differently to treatment, so no one knows what might happen. Our strategy? Create security for an unpredictable world.

We combined everything about Rebif that adds security. We emphasized experience, history, efficacy, and unique access to MS LifeLines support: nurses, patient ambassadors, care partners, and experts that personalize the Rebif experience with human connection.

We turned this into a transformational engagement campaign. We changed the rules for pharma in social media by inviting thousands of people from the MS community into dozens of conversations. Now we're seeing engagement levels at 6X the industry standard, while sales trend upward.

We are reigniting the Rebif brand experience by socializing and celebrating “Strength in Numbers”.

The Strength In Numbers campaign was created for people with relapsing MS in the United States.

Primary goal: retain current patients by reinforcing the value of the Rebif brand experience.

Secondary goal: build interest in Rebif among people who are dissatisfied with their current treatment and might consider switching to a tried and true alternative.

As an older treatment in a cluttered market, we needed to connect with audiences in a new way. We needed to inspire engagement on a personal level with our content and community, and lead people to further interaction with Rebif and MS LifeLines.

“Strength in Numbers” became the new campaign platform for both Rebif, the treatment and MS LifeLines, the support program.

Rebif patients, care partners and nurses—looking confident, approachable, authentic—are the focus across the campaign. They are the real people of MS LifeLines support and the voice of the Rebif brand. Their stories and experiences, in photographs, video and quotes provide wisdom, just like the brand they represent. Bold graphics, designed for people with cognitive and vision issues caused by MS, help call attention to facts and advantages of Rebif and MS LifeLines.

By sharing a patient-centric approach, we show how Rebif.com and MSLifeLines.com work together to fulfill treatment needs and support the MS community.

Built in 2014, we used responsive design (desktop, mobile, and tablet) to launch Rebif.com in July and MSLifeLines.com in September. Mobile reach more than doubled the traffic and the relevance of Strength in Numbers.

Rebif.com and MSLifeLines.com worked together to help people find Strength in Numbers, whether they were looking for an effective treatment or a larger community.

? Rebif.com site visitation increased by 46% compared to the old site

- Mobile visitation increased over 100% which can be attributed to an increase in mobile organic traffic of 165%

- 1-on-1 Support showed the strongest mobile visitation growth in Q4, growing 335%.

- In 5 months, visits to the site were 19% above goal

? Content on the redesigned MSLifeLines.com has shown to be more than double the old site at 63%.

- Mobile visitation accounted for over 50% of all traffic coming to the site

- Average time users engaged with site was over 3 minutes per visit

- In 3 short months, the site visits were 33% above goal

Both sites drove 40% of Facebook page visits from outside Facebook.

We focused on the experience of living with MS while taking Rebif. We explored the relationship between Rebif patients and MS LifeLines, and tapped into the wisdom of our Ambassadors.

The Insight: MS unpredictability creates insecurity.

The Proposition: security for an unpredictable world.

How do we deliver this? Shared wisdom, tried and true treatment, and extraordinary support.

We needed to more than say these things. We needed to make them true. This required an integrated digital solution that prioritizes engagement, making it possible to share wisdom, support and emotional connections with others, all inside the brand platform.

Rebif faced 9 new competitors in the multiple sclerosis market. Some require self-injection, just like Rebif, and some can be taken orally. Some of them even share Rebif’s generic name, interferon beta-1a, but require fewer injections.

After 14 years, Rebif started to see declines in market share. Patients were switching away from Rebif, and fewer new patients were starting. Rebif needed to do things differently in order to retain current patients and restore brand relevance.

The brand needed a rallying cry to amplify its strengths: efficacy, history, the safety profile, patient experiences, and the extraordinary MS Lifelines support program.

The patient ambassadors and nurses in MS LifeLines add tremendous value to patient experiences. Their wisdom and warmth provide an emotional anchor to people who connect with them in person or by phone. We saw an opportunity to integrate this warm human connection with throughout our brand experience.