Highly Commended
In Their Shoes
Summary of work
To bring to life Takeda’s corporate commitment to placing patients at the centre, the Europe and Canada Corporate Communications team developed a groundbreaking, immersive disease simulation programme, In Their Shoes. The 48-hour experience is designed to connect employees across the business with the burden of disease and quality of life impacts faced by patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD), a key therapeutic area for Takeda.
Augmented role-play, described by colleagues as ‘humbling’, ‘intense’ and ‘eye-opening’, places individuals into the shoes of a person living with IBD. Conducted while participants are at work, aided by an app and an IBD kit, the programme simulates the physical aspects of the disease. In a dramatic, visceral and personal journey they face challenges, emotional conundrums and workplace jeopardy.
In Their Shoes has had a powerful impact on employees, leading to improved empathy and understanding of life with IBD. Its success led to expansion of the programme internationally across Takeda. Most recently, select external stakeholders have tried the programme.
Evaluation demonstrated measurable outcomes in engagement, motivation, empathy and advocacy. The programme has been endorsed by national patient groups in nine countries and inspired a digital campaign, #FlyWithIBD, asking airlines to further support people with IBD.
Judges’ comments
We just loved the experiential side of this submission and how it ensured understanding in what can be a difficult area. A highly memorable entry, it was incredibly emotive and engaging and for a lot of the judges showed a prime example of what the industry should be about.
