‘HIV is’
Brand strategy and content for a pan-European HCP and patient education campaign, reframing how HIV was understood and managed, from crisis response to long-term chronic condition.
Brand Strategy • Content Development & Copywriting • Healthcare & Pharma Communications • Event Experience
The Brief
I was brought in by DDB Remedy to develop the brand book for Gilead's 'HIV is' campaign before building the strategic foundation and phased messaging framework. This led to development of the creative campaign, messaging and copy across the full range of assets for both healthcare professionals and patients.
The Problem
In May 2015, workshops involving 25 healthcare professionals – a multidisciplinary team consisting of clinicians, pharmacists, nurses and community representatives from across Europe – were held to address the unmet needs of patients living with HIV.
The key conclusion was that management of HIV had entered a new phase but that a number of unmet needs, as well as treatment as prevention of transmission, were generally not considered when managing patients’ therapies.
They also agreed that an education campaign was needed, focusing on how to manage the disease as a long-term, chronic condition.
The Solution
I built the ‘HIV is: Going Beyond Undetectable’ brand book around a two-phase strategic framework. First, Change Thinking by redefining HIV in the minds of both healthcare professionals and patients as a chronic condition rather than a crisis. Second, Change Behaviour, to shift the treatment approach toward long-term health planning.
From that foundation, I developed creative and wrote copy across every campaign touchpoint: leave pieces and brochures, panel stands, event experiences, marketing collateral, building projections, outdoor and digital.
The campaign's centrepiece was a bespoke event experience launched at EACS (European AIDS Clinical Society), the continent's leading HIV conference.
Through a series of immersive displays and activations, it brought the brand book's strategy to life as a physical, in-person experience for the clinicians and specialists the campaign most needed to reach.
EACS Event Video | Content Strategy • Stand & Experience Development • Messaging
Video is password protected. Please contact me for access.
The Outcome
15% increase in physicians reporting they now considered unmet need and long-term health when managing HIV treatment
Gilead rated the most memorable presence at EACS
The 'HIV is: Going Beyond Undetectable' booth was the most attended at the conference
82% of delegates across 5 EU countries rated Gilead's presence positively
The experience was also received well at an internal product launch in London, praised for its branding and engaging content
The strength of this work led to a two-year-plus tenure at DDB Remedy, including a stint as interim Head of Copy, leading and mentoring a team of writers
