The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting is the world’s biggest dermatology convention. Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) is launching a treatment for GPP, but the company is new to Dermatologists. To stand out from the competition, BI needed an eye-catching and thought-provoking experience.

Recognizing that Dermatologists are aesthetic in nature and beauty is inherent to their work, we created an experience that immerses them into the world of high fashion, but with a gut-punching twist. The Unwearable Collection brings heart-wrenching patient experiences to life via haute couture for an experience that teaches Dermatologists in an unforgettable way.

GPP is a rare skin condition, but it’s potentially deadly. Within two hours, GPP can cause pustules (open wounds) to erupt all over a patient’s body and require urgent hospitalization. Because it’s so rare, Dermatologists are not familiar with its consequences and are not used to managing such a severe condition. The full extent of this harrowing disease and how it affects patients is vastly misunderstood.

Boehringer Ingelheim is preparing to launch a product to treat GPP. It’s critical for them to raise awareness among Dermatologists of this deadly disease, build empathy for suffering patients, and teach them more about the disease. While it is common for pharmaceutical companies to communicate with physicians about a disease, these campaigns are usually boring and highly scientific.

We needed a memorable experience that could break through the noise and appeal to Dermatologists, who are less scientific and more attuned to beauty and aesthetics.

“A clothing line no one would dare to wear, but those with GPP have no choice.”

Boehringer Ingelheim partnered with internationally renowned fashion designer Bart Hess, whose work includes designs for Lady Gaga, to create an experience at the AAD convention. The Unwearable Collection: a fashion gallery of four distinct pieces of couture, each inspired by real patients’ experiences with GPP.

Bart Hess translated patients’ words describing their painful experiences into four uncomfortable outfits using unconventional materials. To convey the pain of isolation, he used shards of broken plexiglass and mirrors, representing social isolation and shattered identity. For the life-threatening nature of the disease, he used over 1000 knives and razor blades. To represent the intensity of a flare, red charred foil. And for the physical pain, over 10,000 cuts of paper.

In a convergence of fashion and health, these creations teach Dermatologists about the devastating impact of GPP.

Through research with Dermatologists, we collected insights about their level of knowledge and attitudes about GPP. We found there was very low understanding of it. Most Dermatologists treat GPP like other more common, but less severe forms of psoriasis. However, those treatments are very ineffective for people with GPP and patients continue to suffer.

We needed Dermatologists to fully understand that GPP is a unique disease that’s very different from other types of psoriasis both in terms of the potentially deadly consequences and the way it affects nearly every aspect of their life.

We created an experience around fashion that appeals to Dermatologists’ inherent inclination for aesthetics and beauty. We knew simply delivering medical information would not break through the noise. The fashion gallery lured visitors in with beautiful designs and then educates them about the experiences of patients with GPP through haute couture they can’t look away from.

This Unwearable Collection premiered March 2022 at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) Annual Meeting, the world’s biggest dermatology convention. The exhibition was designed as a couture fashion gallery that stood out in stark contrast to the clinical medical information that’s typically displayed at such conventions.

The clean, white, modern design served as the perfect backdrop for these unwearable pieces of art. Like an art gallery experience, Bart’s four creations were displayed on pedestals along with information about the disease, a brief description of each piece, and the patient quote that served as inspiration. Visitors were invited to tour the gallery, walk around the outfits, and engage live with Bart Hess and one of the patients, Christine, whose testimony inspired his work.

To enter the event, visitors provided email address for our CRM database and QR codes drove visitors to a disease education website that gives more information about GPP.

The Unwearable Collection was a success at AAD in Boston. Boehringer Ingelheim’s booth was the most visited at the convention, with long lines to enter and experience the event.

The campaign is generating media interest and helping Boehringer Ingelheim to be seen as an innovator in dermatology. Surface Magazine, an art and fashion trade magazine outside the healthcare space, featured the collection and called it “avant-garde” work. Fierce Pharma, a website covering pharma and healthcare, called it “bold.”

Of 7,000 Dermatologists who attended the convention, 2,500 registered at the booth, providing new, qualified leads that were added to the company’s CRM database. This represented a 185% increase over the goals that were set at the outset of the project. The booth and collateral materials utilized QR codes to drive attendees to the company’s disease education website to learn more, which experienced a 325% increase in web traffic.

According to the US Federal Trade Commission, advertisements must be truthful, cannot be deceptive or unfair, and must be evidence-based. In addition, the FDA advises that disease-related advertisements/communications be disease or health condition-specific, enhance education, be clear and accurate, and contain a responsible public health message.

This campaign targets Dermatologists. Research revealed Dermatologists have a very low understanding of a rare skin condition called General Pustular Psoriasis (GPP). Most Dermatologists treat GPP like other more common, but less severe forms of psoriasis. We needed Dermatologists to understand how GPP affects patients in a uniquely horrific way.