Problem:
Our product director client received early FDA approval and was launching a first-in-class Oncology treatment during the early months of the Covid-19 global pandemic. Nearly every target physician became a ‘no see’ doctor during that time, closing their offices to biopharma sales reps and enduring a massive reduction in patient visits. Our client and his small brand team needed to keep their now-virtual Sales team engaged, motivated and informed during the first six months of launch.
Approach:
We recommended creating short, inexpensive update videos posted on the company intranet on a regular basis, with a content summary and link sent to the Field for each episode. Our client introduced the concept at their virtual launch meeting and solicited story ideas from the audience. The Health Accelerators team developed a cross-functional editorial plan, designed an animated opening with the brand’s logo and series name, scheduled and prepped interviews with internal leaders that we recorded via Zoom, edited interviews, graphics and our client’s commentary into 3-5-minute episodes, and gained internal approvals for each before publishing.
Results:
The friendly, authentic tone and consistent cadence of the video touchpoints created trust, empathy and openness among the Marketing and Sales teams, and the series featured leaders from both areas collaborating on critical aspects of launch execution. Within just 6 months of launch, Sales exceeded the full-year forecast, quickly providing HCPs with a new option for cancer patients with a specific gene mutation.
In addition, the series significantly raised the visibility of our client with senior leadership, as they saw him in a leading role (as host) on a regular basis while everyone was working from home. His positive, helpful narrative sustained trust and connection between Marketing and Sales during the critical initial months of launch. Soon after he was rewarded with additional product responsibilities and resources.