| It is great to have a campaign that lasts. Too many advertisers change their ad executions too quickly. Consumers benefit by seeing a good campaign kept on air. It takes a long time to establish brand recall and keeping continuity of a campaign helps with brand and ad awareness. Cosentyx, from Novartis, is one of my favorites as an enduring campaign for psoriasis. It is not the only one. Humira also has done a good job over the years. Cosentyx is particularly good at finding a memorable theme. They found a few words to headline their integrated media message. “See Me” and “Watch Me” are four words that convey the essence of their message over the last four years. It is very easy for DTC brands to want to advertise all their benefits and over complicate the message. Consumers want the bottom-line benefit in language they can understand and remember. Cosentyx found the emotional cue so important in good advertising. In the initial ad back in 2016, Cosentyx showed real sufferers who felt they were judged by their disease and visible symptoms. They wanted people to see them and not their disease. This “See Me” was therefore born as an enduring psoriasis campaign. Cyndi Lauper was added to the mix of real sufferers which was an interesting celebrity use. Usually a celebrity gets their own ad but, in this case, Cosentyx added Cyndi to the mix of regular folks. Cosentyx has stuck with the “See Me” message in all media formats. It is successfully adopted in print, digital, and video. Cyndi Lauper is still integrated into the mix of real patients four years later. She is not the star of the ads, just a memorable celebrity who is one of many sufferers profiled. Cosentyx figured out that psoriasis makes sufferers feel more than physical problems. The condition creates an emotional separation as patients feel other people see the disease, not the person behind it. This is a brilliant insight that makes the ads so effective. I do not expect this idea will ever become old and Cosentyx can run with the “See Me” and “Watch Me” for years longer. The latest psoriatic arthritis ads use “Watch Me” as the main tag. They show real patients who have had enduring relief and are saying watch me control this disease. The takeaway is that Cosentyx has been around long enough to be a trusted drug that works. I applaud Novartis and their agency Hill Holliday Health for creating a campaign that is enduring and unique. |
| Bob Ehrlich Chairman DTC Perspectives, Inc. |
Bob Ehrlich has over 20 years marketing experience in pharmaceutical and consumer products. Bob is the CEO of DTC Perspectives, Inc., a DTC services company founded in 2000. DTC Perspectives, Inc. developed the DTC National Conference, the largest DTC conference in the industry. DTC Perspectives, Inc. also publishes DTC Perspectives, a quarterly journal dedicated to DTC issues and practices. In addition DTC Perspectives, Inc. does DTC consulting for established and emerging companies, and provides DTC marketing plans for pharmaceutical companies.
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