STELARA® was approved in September 2009, entering a marketplace that had well-established competitors.

Dermatologists, our target audience, tend to cycle through biologics with each patient, moving from one to the next if the treatment doesn’t work or stops working over time. We needed to drive dermatologists to consider using STELARA® in the earliest part of the treatment cycle.

We knew there were some dermatologists who were succeeding with early use of STELARA®. Sharing their success stories would show their colleagues across the country that early use of STELARA® was becoming a more widely used route to success—and it was time to get on board.

We introduced Revealing Stories Clear Across America with a distinctive work of art—a see-through Car, representing clearance, and the journey we were poised to take. It debuted at the American Academy of Dermatology convention in Miami.

Then we developed a virtual car that “traveled” across the country seeking out motivated STELARA® prescribers. We recruited three dermatologists and their patients to tell their stories on video, which was implemented in sales tools and on the Web along with several supporting components.

The initiative performed well, with strong Web metrics and exceptional share growth.

Our program—Revealing Stories Clear Across America—was both physical and virtual.

We introduced it with a distinctive work of art—a see-through Car, representing clearance, and the journey we were poised to take. It debuted at the American Academy of Dermatology convention in Miami, before moving to Orlando for the annual sales meeting, and then to Janssen’s US headquarters in Horsham, Pennsylvania.

Then we developed a virtual car that “traveled” across the country seeking out motivated STELARA® prescribers. We recruited three dermatologists and their patients to tell their stories on video, which was implemented on the iPads sales representatives use to detail dermatologists and on the Web.

Meanwhile the sales force asked the dermatologists they call on to testify about STELARA®. For the iPads and Web, we built a US map with these dermatologists’ names, an interactive game for banner ads, and a “word bubble” carousel display of quotes.

The initiative had a strong launch at the convention, where booth attendance was higher than the previous year. Sales representatives were excited to have a new way to present the STELARA® story to dermatologists.

More than 5 times as many dermatologists participated in the program than we expected. And, in a startling development, dermatologists who participated became more likely to prescribe STELARA® than non-participants based on their prior prescribing habits.

The banner ads were a huge success. Click-through rate was 0.16%, nearly twice the industry standard and 37% higher than the brand’s previous banner ad. Visitor interactions on the Web site were lengthened by this program too, with 74% of page views clocking in at over 30 seconds.

All this interactivity and participation resulted in exceptional revenue growth for STELARA®, nearly doubling sales year-over-year (Q4).