Background

How do you prove that campaigns have worked? Signature Communications implemented a disease awareness & medical education campaign that its client, Almirall (UK) Ltd, got involved with.

The campaign ran between May – Sept ’09 in Norfolk and Suffolk and included workshops for GPs, nurses & pharmacists; a media campaign incorporating editorial & advertising directing people to skin checks at local venues; & a mobile clinic that operated during Skin Awareness Week. Opinion Matters was briefed to conduct pre and post campaign awareness research.

Strategy

With a focus on ROI, Opinion Matters advised that the pre & post campaign research not only measured the impact of Signature’s activity, but also generated angles that could be used for media coverage to highlight the campaign’s key messages, resulting in additional media interest.

Results

Post campaign research showed a 37% increase in awareness amongst target audience, & a 57% increase in regular skin checks amongst those over 40 years, with over 90% committing to seek healthcare professional advice within 2 weeks in future if they discover a mark of concern. Prescriptions initiated in primary care for specific skin care treatments showed a steady incline between July – Oct ‘09. 692 people visited the skin health check clinic, 95% were over 45 years & 57% male, both core target audiences. Of these, over a third presented potentially dangerous skin conditions including 15 cases of highly suspect malignant melanoma & 126 cases of Solar Keratosis.

“This activity was a pilot in advance of running similar initiatives across the UK during 2010, so benchmarking and then demonstrating an increase in levels of awareness was vital. The research provided this valuable tool, by measuring & demonstrating the success of the patient awareness activity, & also generated data which added longevity to the campaign by providing news-hooks for ongoing media activity. In addition, it has enabled us to refine our strategy & ensure that we are even more targeted with our direct to patient communication.” Cerys Evans, Director, Signature Communications.