Excellence in Patient Focus

Summary of work

In 2009 Astellas embarked on a project working in partnership with the Bladder and Bowel Foundation to engage with patients suffering from the condition overactive bladder (OAB) who were not fully aware that their symptoms related to a treatable medical condition.

This disease awareness programme is unique in two key respects:

1. Consistency – over the course of the campaign, every month has seen an active engagement programme with targeted and innovative promotion. No other disease awareness programme has consistently engaged with its target audience to this degree over such a period.
2. Effectiveness – underpinning the programme has been a process of ongoing research into the target audience so that messages could be refined to address the needs identified. New campaign materials have been produced to encourage engagement whenever new and important messages have been identified. By this approach the campaign has evolved and continued to work even harder to deliver a significant response.

Now entering its fifth year the programme has supported over half a million patients with OAB to seek help and advice and for many to gain control over their symptoms and improve their quality of life.

Judges comments

Yet another very credible entry from Astellas and once again we are impressed by their very clear customer focus and what they have achieved with this ongoing campaign.