The Story

This was a massive project at Ogilvy Healthworld for Roche as they launched Ocrevus, a drug for multiple sclerosis patients.  Traditionally, patients suffering from PPMS (Primary Progressive MS) have had little offered to them in the way of treatment.  Decline is steady rather than the case in RRMS (Relapsing and Remitting MS) and there is nothing at the moment to halt this.

Ocrevus is a completely new mechanism and offers substantial hope for all MS patients but particularly PPMS.

In pharmaceutical marketing there’s lots of regulation.  To begin with, drugs are only allowed to be talked about using their unbranded name.  In this case, Ocrelizumab.  Once the drug is licensed, it can be talked about using its branded name.  Even then, different countries have different rules on how this can be done.

This project started in its unbranded phase but I only became involved in the launch phase.  Along with a team of client services people, creatives, copy writers, medical writers and others, I was brand lead on UX and digital strategy.  Rather than being put on a project to deliver something like wireframes or personas, this was an ongoing project where I would usually be involved on a daily basis whilst different assets were created.

While I as working on this, I was involved in lots of different projects as part of a huge amount of activity for the launch:

• Defining the strategy for 2018
• Creating wireframes for a disease awareness website
• Creating a playbook for local markets to use when rolling out various assets that we’d built
• Refining personas for neurologists
• Building user journeys
• Creating a test plan for user testing
• Creating information architecture, workflows and wireframes for eDetails (Tablet based presentations for reps to use in face-to-face meetings with doctors)
• Creating marketing automation plans
• Overseeing creative work from a UX perspective
• Campaign materials
• Congress planning – interactive screens and the like
• Generally acting as a consultant for any asset that went in front of a user

This was a truly immersive project rather than one where you get 5 days to create something and then you’re done.

The product is now being launched in several countries and should be making a big difference to patients’ lives already.

The great thing about this is that it was recognised globally within WPP and we won an award with a prize of $10,000 to be split between the team.