Raising awareness: KNOW COPD
Most people don’t know that COPD is the fourth-most common killer among diseases in the U.S. And, most people who have the condition don’t even know—or, know how to recognize it in themselves.
Enter KNOW COPD, an unbranded educational campaign giving all the facts—and helping people with COPD symptoms to recognize themselves, encouraging them to seek help. The campaign spanned a website, a partnership with Danica Patrick, and news show appearances, along with HCP in-office promotional materials.
On the site, in addition to detailed disease information, a section with individual testimonials shared daily challenges that would be relatable to others suffering the same symptoms; the KNOW SHOW normalized the unknown aspects of the disease and shared its severity; and a social media component encouraged individuals to share the information with their networks.
To help undiagnosed COPD sufferers recognize themselves, the “Undiagnosed, Untreated” videos presented portraits of real people struggling with their breathing and, as a result, with everyday tasks.
During a general COPD awareness booth at a health fair, I developed a series of four “KnowShow” videos, which were “man-on-the-street” pieces shot at a health fair. It was an approach which at the time was considered ahead of its time, especially for a pharmaceutical company.
To gain even more attention to the condition, we partnered with Nascar wunderkind Danica Patrick to promote the importance of getting tested. The promotion was covered in dozens of major news outlets, spread like wildfire on social media, and we know that at least 1.2 million people got tested as a result.
