Title	STELLA
Brand	SANOFI
Product/Service	SANOFI
Category	E01. Direct to Patient
Entrant	WEBER SHANDWICK Munich, GERMANY
Idea Creation	WEBER SHANDWICK Munich, GERMANY
PR	WEBER SHANDWICK Munich, GERMANY
Production	WEBER SHANDWICK Munich, GERMANY
Production 2	MOVIEBRATS FILMS Berlin, GERMANY
Post Production	MOVIEBRATS FILMS Berlin, GERMANY

Name	Company	Position
James Nester	Weber Shandwick	Creative Director & Concept
Tayo Gross	Weber Shandwick	Creative / Design
Caroline Mattias	Weber Shandwick	Copywriter
Julia Kiefaber	Weber Shandwick	Strategy
Christiane Schulz-Luckenbach	Weber Shandwick	Project Management & Content Development
Anita Neil	Weber Shandwick	Social Media & Web Content
Bärbel Mattka	Weber Shandwick	Public Relations & Patient Relations
Katharina Degenmann	Weber Shandwick	Public Relations & Social Media
Susanne Buder	Weber Shandwick	Strategic Council
Moritz Linten	Weber Shandwick	Paid Planning
Johanna Tornow	Weber Shandwick	Social Media
Björn Dunne	MovieBrats	Production

Why is this work relevant for Branded Content & Entertainment?

Hollywood usually presents people with asthma as the nerdy or weak part of a story. “Stella” is a trailer for a movie that does not exist – but should. For perhaps the very first time in pop culture, this movie portrays an asthma patient not as the usual nerdy sidekick, but as a strong lead role. Over 14.7 million people in Germany watched the trailer, 30,000 visited the campaign website to watch the longer version, and more than 9,000 patients conducted an asthma self-test. Within just 3 months, one of Germany’s biggest and liveliest asthma communities had been born.

Describe any restrictions or regulations regarding Healthcare/RX/Pharma communications in your country/region including:

While Pharmaceutical companies can inspire patients to talk to their doctors, it is not possible to promote therapies.

Describe the target audience and why your work is relevant to them.

People with asthma. Many don’t talk to their pneumologist and are unaware of innovative therapy options. The majority are 40 years and older. A proportion do not realise their asthma might be “uncontrolled”. So we needed to engage everyone with asthma with the inspiration and tools to challenge their asthma.

Background

Many asthma patients become passive and feel they cannot talk openly about their disease. They feel resigned to their condition and stop openly talking to their friends, colleagues and even their doctor. Sanofi Genzyme wanted to inspire patients to challenge the status quo of their disease and to talk more openly. This would help them cope better with their disease and potentially discover new ways their situation can be improved.

Describe the creative idea

We created “Stella”, the first strong lead role with asthma in the movies. What appeared to be a trailer for her stunning new Hollywood animated feature film was broadcast on TV and social media across Germany. Appearing just like a real movie release, the trailer drives curious viewers to “Asthma Activists”, a special website where Stella’s true identity – a real person with asthma – was revealed. And where patients could find out how to play a lead role in their lives and with their doctor.

Describe the strategy

Hollywood and popular culture depicts asthma as a weakness. Is it any wonder patients become passive and stop talking about their condition? The strategy was to inspire people with asthma to challenge the status quo of their condition. We would do this by challenging how asthma is portrayed in popular culture. Research showed that those with asthma can relate to this topic – and it is of broader cultural resonance due to the abundance of nerdy sidekicks with inhalers in movies and fiction. By transforming a real person with asthma into a strong lead role, we would show that patients can defy their status quo, speak up and actively challenge their disease. Then we give them the advice and tools to help them do so.

Describe the execution

A real person with asthma was lovingly transformed into a strong lead animated character. With styling from the golden age of cinema and a suitably Hollywood orchestral score, the trailer appeared to be for a real film. It told the journey of “Stella”, from young actress struggling with self-doubt to a confident A-list star. Broadcast on screens across Germany, from TV ads to social channels, the trailer drove audiences to the “Asthma Activists” web platform, where a full 90 second trailer revealed the full story and her true identity. The web platform gave visitors what they need to play the lead role in their lives, with expert guides on everyday situations – from work to sports and social life. While tools help patients reassess their asthma, including a doctors discussion guide and an asthma self-test to help start a conversation about individual treatment options.

Describe the outcome

Over 15 million watched the trailer, with approximately 30,000 heading to the website to find out more. Nearly 1 in 2 visitors took the ‘asthma self test’ to check if their symptoms were under control - this is an important first step in challenging their asthma status quo before talking to their doctor. An Instagram social community exploded to life with over 1600 followers within 3 months – making it already one of Germany’s biggest and liveliest asthma communities, with members discussing and openly sharing their asthma issues with one another. The “Asthma Activists” platform and community was well and truly launched as was a patient movement of thousands who are starting to play the lead role in their lives.