Salix wins rheumatology contract

Following a three-way pitch, Salix Consulting will produce the British Society for Rheumatology's (BSR) Simple Tasks campaign, which aims to highlight the need for early recognition and referral, particularly among young people.

The project will be led by Salix managing director Sarah Wrixon, who also led the pitch, and is expected to take two years. Wrixon will be assisted by colleagues George Hay and Rebecca Riffel. The campaign is expected to be largely media- and PR-led, Riffel told PMLiVE.

“There are more than 200 rheumatic conditions including lupus, gout and psoriatic arthritis yet most people are only aware of rheumatoid arthritis. The cost to the economy of these debilitating conditions is huge,” said Wrixon.

“It's important their scale and severity is properly understood and the priority of rheumatology is increased to a level proportionate to its burden to patients and the NHS.”

Salix will develop a bespoke media plan for a target audience of policy makers, referring doctors and commissioners, BSR members and the general public. Materials will include white papers, fast facts, top ten guidance sheets, articles and features.

Content based on the campaign's bent fork icon will appear across digital media. “We will be inviting high profile figures to wear the bent fork pin lapel to coincide with the launch and submit selfies [self-portrait photographs] to our social media channels,” said Riffel.

This is not the first awareness campaign for the agency. Salix previously worked with the Proprietary Association of Great Britain, to launch their Self Care Campaign, and with the optical sector, to deliver the inaugural National Eye Health Week.