Case study: Screening for COPD risk
Launching a US public health campaign, DRIVE4COPD, to raise awareness of COPD
Published: 08 Feb 2012
The digital program educated individuals about their COPD risk.
Client: Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Agency: Biosector 2
Campaign: DRIVE4COPD
Timescale: February 2010 to ongoing
A quick look
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a leading cause of death in America, killing one person every four minutes – more than breast cancer and diabetes combined. Yet COPD ranks low on the list of the nation’s public health priorities and is largely unknown. Recognizing this unmet need, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI) and Biosector 2 (B2) launched a landmark public health campaign called DRIVE4COPD, aimed at raising awareness and screening people for COPD risk. After a thorough analysis revealed that at-risk individuals were increasingly online, the team developed a comprehensive social and digital media program to reach them through e-communications.
Challenge
An estimated 24 million Americans may have COPD but as many as half remain undiagnosed. People often dismiss symptoms as normal signs of aging, and as a result, many are not diagnosed until they have lost half of their lung function. The challenge for Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI) and Biosector 2 (B2) was to reach people who did not know they were at risk for COPD and prompt them to do something about it. The team realized the difficulty in motivating people to learn about the disease and evaluate their health; however, they also recognized the potential to reach a large audience and encourage information-sharing through social media.
Solution
DRIVE4COPD launched a broad-reaching digital program to drive individuals to learn their risk for COPD by taking a scientifically validated five-question screener on the campaign website, DRIVE4COPD.COM Communications via Facebook and Twitter were ideal since the campaign focused on awareness and screening, rather than the stigma often associated with COPD given its connection to smoking.
This also allowed individuals to take the screener or share it with their entire social network with just the click of a button. The campaign created novel tactics like a Tweet Off that matched celebrity ambassadors against each other to screen the most people through Tweets and a songwriting contest that called for individuals to submit songs online to raise awareness of COPD. It also reached people through SMS messaging in movie theaters and baseball games, a music widget with an embedded screener and shareable videos of 24M: The DRIVE4COPD Monument. Throughout the campaign, the team kept audiences engaged by regularly updating pages with interesting and informative content.
Results
The campaign met its goal of screening one million people for risk of COPD in its first year and reached the two million mark just seven months later. DRIVE4COPD has built a robust social media community that includes approximately 5,000 Facebook fans, nearly 60,000 Twitter followers across campaign handles and more than 230,000 video and photo views through its YouTube and Flickr channels. Supporters have shared their gratitude for DRIVE4COPD’s efforts by commenting on the campaign Facebook wall and submitting their personal stories to the “Why Do You DRIVE4COPD?” Facebook tab.
Client verdict
Boehringer Ingelheim has been praised for its use of social media to spread awareness and screen people for risk of COPD. The campaign has been recognized by major industry awards and continues to drive awareness and screenings at a remarkable pace. Last month the campaign was awarded Best Use of Social Media by Medical Marketing & Media.