This campaign is aimed mainly at dermatologists but does include other healthcare professionals who treat rosacea like general practitioners, primary care physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners. The campaign was also heavily promoted to those attending the American Academy of Dermatology meeting held in March in San Francisco, California.

The Federal Drug Administration (FDA) must approve pharmaceutical communications. Their authority over manufacturer-disseminated information is broad and includes print and broadcast advertising, website content, electronic mail, sponsored internet search engine links, social media and public sites to which the manufacturer or its representative posts content. They also approve educational materials provided to patients, consumers and physicians. Prior to approval, manufacturers submit their campaign materials for review. Post approval, promotional materials must be submitted at the time of dissemination or publication. A drug is misbranded if its advertising is false or misleading or not in compliance with FDA requirements.

Rosacea affects an estimated 40 million people worldwide. However, doctors have been hesitant to diagnose and treat it because nothing available provides the effective results patients are looking for.

Challenge: prove to physicians that they now have a topical which delivers the efficacy they and their patients have longed for.

Objective: create a campaign highlighting the strength of this product and its ability to eliminate rosacea once and for all.

Strategy: differentiate this topical from others based on the fact that the efficacy it provides is second to none.

This campaign execution is unlike anything seen before in dermatology for the treatment of rosacea. It’s based on the story of good versus evil—strong versus weak—a story with which everyone can identify. Our topical is the hero, able to conquer a cocky condition that has had nothing to fear—until now!

The main goal of this campaign is to highlight the incredible strength of this topical. Other available products have tried to claim they were efficacious, but their results fell short in the minds of doctors and patients. The initial target audience was dermatologists, but it is currently being expanded to include general practitioners. The first market exposed to this campaign was dermatology in the United States. However, this campaign will be used globally with dermatologists and general practitioners as Soolantra gains approval in additional countries throughout 2015 and 2016.

This campaign was first developed for a US launch. Promotion began February 16, 2015, and all tactics are still in use today.

To make an impact and gain maximum exposure, this campaign is showcased in personal and nonpersonal channels. Representatives are using it, along with an animated campaign video, on iPads during sales calls. It appears in journal advertisements and online within the physician website, banner advertising, and professional emails. Print materials include stress balls, posters, comic books, flash cards, medical brochures, and such patient materials as educational brochures and co-pay cards. High-profile tactics at the American Academy of Dermatology convention were also used.

The dermatology market is flooded with faces cleared of a number of different conditions. Our amazing campaign is groundbreaking and stands out from the others by featuring an animated hero that shows Soolantra is strong enough to overpower papules appearing on the face of sufferers.

Overall feedback from doctors about this campaign has been extremely positive. After only 8 official weeks in the US market, Soolantra has reached 6.2% market share of the overall topical rosacea market (9.7% share in the dermatology segment alone). Awareness of Soolantra is high, as indicated by 60% of respondents participating in an early postlaunch physician survey. Additionally, there has been a steady increase in total prescriptions since launch, with a current average of almost 5000 per week. Total revenue is currently tracking above the current forecast.

Because Soolantra is the strongest topical available to treat this chronic condition of unknown origin, it needed a campaign that was just as tough and unique. Rosacea has finally met its match with Soolantra. This is why we’ve focused on the age-old story of the strong versus the weak; how good always wins out over evil or, in this case, how our hero, Soolantra, is strong enough to rise above all other agents to finally eliminate the evil that has plagued its rosacea victims…and has had nothing to fear for far too long.

There had been no treatment advancements in 10 years. Available topical agents do not provide the efficacy doctors want and their patients expect. In fact, doctors have avoided the rosacea diagnosis or provided little hope to patients that what they prescribe would truly work to control this chronic condition. Rosacea patients were suffering. The red bumps and blemishes have a devastating effect on their lives, causing embarrassment and a lack of confidence. All doctors need to know to start treating rosacea again is that there is now a tough topical strong enough to overpower rosacea and stop it for good.