Case

Study Lupus Awareness Campaign for the Office on Womens Health Background Lupus is a chronic autoimmune disease that disproportionately affects minority women 3 times more than white women. There is very low awareness and knowledge of the disease, especially among women at greatest risk. Our challenge was to reach and inform young women of color about Lupus in the hope they will take action if they experience symptoms. Agency Role Muses role was to design a multi-platform communications program to raise awareness and understanding of Lupus. The objective was to encourage the target audience to recognize the symptoms and to seek additional information by visiting the Lupus website. Strategic planning included qualitative research with the target in 3 markets, individual interviews with physicians and clinicians specializing in autoimmune diseases like Lupus, interviews with representatives from community health clinics serving low-income and minority women, and interviews with key influencers and stakeholders. Creative Development Our campaign was developed to do more than raise awareness of the disease it urged women to ask themselves the question, Could I have lupus? Through our conversations with women suffering from lupus, we were inspired to incorporate the stories of their experiences and personal struggles. Our campaign showcases actual diary entries from these women, and offers a pathway for answers and hope in their battle with lupus. Campaign elements included TV, radio, print, out-of-home, online banners. A website and press kits were also produced. Results This campaign was measured three ways: website activity, value of media placements, and awareness tracking survey. The online component was extremely successful: in the 3 month launch period (3/09 to 6/09), total website hits were at 5.3 million and average hits per day exceeded 61K. Average length of session was 8:6 minutes, compared with an industry average of 2.4 minutes. Our banner effort delivered 12 million impressions with a .09 click-through rate (industry average is .04). Most importantly, our site had an open community forum and a function for users to create their own online diaries. 883 women registered with 1,776 diary and community forum entries during the launch period.

As a pro bono campaign, the success can also be measured by the interest and commitment of the media industry. According to the Ad Council, the Lupus Awareness Campaign has generated tremendous support and generated over $27 million in donated media since its launch in 2009. A national online tracking survey commissioned by the Ad Council and HHS in partnership with Greenfield Online was conducted from April 2009 to March 2010. This survey found that 22 percent had heard the campaign advertising and 15 percent reported seeing or hearing something about Lupus compared to 10 percent in 2009. Notably, one year after campaign launch, 14 percent of women surveyed reported visiting a website for more information versus 9 percent of women surveyed a year ago. For More Information about our healthcare marketing services, please contact: Shelley Yamane Candace Rohr Muse Communications email: shelley@museusa.com email: candace@museusa.com 9543 Culver Blvd., 2nd Floor Culver City, CA 90232 Phone: 310.945.4100