GOLD

Client: Hoffmann-La Roche

Campaign: Xenical Weigh to BodyWellness Support Plus Program

Agency: CPC Healthcare Communications

Creative Director: Chrisy Harrison

Copywriter: Diane Merlevede

Art Director: Chrisy Harrison

Prescription obesity management product Xenical was approved in Canada in June of 1999. Unlike traditional obesity treatments, Xenical is not an appetite suppressant. Instead, the drug inhibits the absorption of about 30% of dietary fat. You can guess where this fat goes. To put it delicately, there can be some unpleasant side effects if the user indulges in a high-fat diet. In fact, the worry is that users might give up if they don’t learn how to control these side effects.

That’s why support and counselling are critical for the success of the drug. Roche wanted to develop a program for Xenical patients that would encourage healthy eating, physical activity and a moderate intake of fat in order to enjoy the full benefits the medication has to offer.

In order to segment the audience, the company engaged the services of a behavioural psychologist whose specialty is eating disorders. This drove the development of a call centre application. Each caller who enrolled would receive a total of three outbound calls offering encouragement (this was changed, mid-campaign, to three inbound check-up calls) and five customized mail packages (a binge eater, for example, might receive different information than someone who suffers from diabetes.)

To date, enrolment is about double the industry standard for patient programs.

MERIT

Novartis Consumer Health Care Canada for its cold/flu program, developed by Continuum Relationship Marketing.