This was a consumer campaign targeting those who may be suffering from Psoriatic Arthritis but have not yet been diagnosed.

In the US, the FDA requires that all direct-to-consumer disease education communication encourage patients to talk to their doctor about their symptoms rather than “self-diagnosing.” AbbVie’s Regulatory department also requires that all communication be responsible, targeting the right consumers who are likely to be affected by the condition.

Our challenge: Get the undiagnosed to understand that their seemingly disconnected symptoms – red, flaky skin and joint pain – may be an inflammatory condition called Psoriatic Arthritis.

We had to ignite information-seeking to get them closer to diagnosis.

Psoriatic Arthritis is like a double whammy, attacking both your skin and joints. “Double whammy” uses simple animation to personify the unsuspecting patient and the sequence of disconnected symptoms that attack inside and out.

All media was orchestrated to drive engagement with the symptom quiz on our website. Ten weeks of TV, display banners, SEM and social programs were tightly coordinated to drive patients to the website, and to do so with a sense of urgency.

“Double whammy” unleashed unprecedented website traffic, quiz completes and registrations far exceeding expectations. Though PsA is thought to affect just 1.6 million adults, over 800,000 people visited the site during the short but impactful effort.

The integrated national campaign reaches out to the 1+ million men and women with PsA symptoms who are not yet diagnosed. They’re overwhelmed by two disparate sets of symptoms that impact their lives, their work, their relationships, their identity.

Our goal was to connect the disconnected. To move people to rethink their symptoms. To ignite information-seeking to get them closer to diagnosis. Through coordinated social media, email, print and TV, we aimed to:

1. Create awareness and drive people to our website.

2. Encourage them to take the symptom quiz.

3. Ask them to register for more information.

“Double Whammy” uses simple animation and a relatable character to bring to life the unsuspecting patient and the sequence of seemingly disconnected symptoms that strike without warning. His disease is complicated, but our hero is simple and relatable. His story is the journey of Psoriatic Arthritis.

All media was orchestrated to drive engagement with the symptom quiz with a degree of urgency. The search plan was optimized to achieve nearly 100% share of voice. Television (:30 launched in April for 10 weeks) and an ongoing lifestyle and entertainment-focused digital plan directed people to Doublewhammy.com. We also leveraged the psoriasisSpeaks Facebook community through weekly “Double Whammy” posts, reaching a socially engaged group for whom our message was potentially highly relevant.

On DoubleWhammy.com, users found our character “DW” directing them to take the quiz and register for more information. Two emails and one DM piece provided follow-up information and guidance.

Psoriatic Arthritis affects just 1.6 million people, so our goal was to drive 240,000 visits (15%) to Doublewhammy.com. Of those 240,000, we wanted 132,000 (55%) to take the symptom quiz. Only 10 weeks of TV media launched the campaign (between April 14 and July 7, 2014). In this time, over 800,000 people visited the website, a number that far exceeded expectations.

The simple, yet engaging “Double Whammy” execution inspired viewers to take action in numbers that were, quite frankly, unexpected. More than half a million took the symptom quiz—which represents an unprecedented 64% of visits. And nearly 15,000 registered for additional information, far surpassing our goal of 2,400.

Patients with PsA feel like they’re attacked from all sides and can’t make sense of the disparate symptoms. Making the connection between a skin condition and joint pain is counter-intuitive. When provided with facts or thorough explanations about the inflammatory nature of the disease, they felt even more overwhelmed. They needed more than education—they needed empathy.

We needed to bring to life the “felt” experience in an emotional way. And in a way that was brilliantly simple and absolutely relatable.

This led to our big idea: Psoriatic Arthritis is like a double whammy, attacking both your skin and joints.

Since patients look for information online, we created a “Double Whammy” destination, where patients could take a symptom quiz, register to learn more, and locate the right doctor. TV, display banners, CRM, and SEM programs also drove patients to the website.

Psoriatic Arthritis (PsA) is a life-altering inflammatory condition that affects both the skin and joints, usually with years between symptoms that seem completely disconnected.

For 85% of patients, PsA starts with the red, flaky skin patches of psoriasis, which can lead to embarrassment and social withdrawal. Then, as long as 10 years later, they are hit once again with joint pain that limits what they can do. Most patients—and most doctors—don’t make the connection that both symptoms are caused by one underlying condition.

Over a million people suffer from PsA without accurate diagnosis and treatment.