THE CHALLENGE

Situation: 43% of RD patients report having suffered discrimination due to their condition – on top of the pain caused by their disease. Society doesn’t always trust the “rare” or different”. A lack of knowledge about rare diseases has led to a patronizing attitude towards illness throughout the world. RD patients are often labelled as ill and become defined by their diseases. But they have dreams, hopes, and plans just like everyone else.

Brief: Alexion, AstraZeneca's rare disease division, set out to humanize the plight of RD sufferers by fostering a beautiful exchange and creating space for them to share their stories. . The brand’s objective was to awareness around these patients’ right to have a meaningful life, and also bring actionable solutions forward to policymakers.

THE STRATEGY

43% of RD patients report to have suffered discrimination. Exclusion is due to lack of knowledge, we label these patients as ‘ill’, letting this label define them.

#MyIdentityIsNotRare aimed to unlock the power of empathy by giving patients the space to define themselves beyond their disease and allow them to reflect on the things which make them unique.

We created an experiment where we invited RD patients to participate in a study. Doctors asked them both medical questions and surprised them with more personal ones such as what their dreams were and what made them smile.

We then handed them a very special diagnosis: The Identity Diagnosis, a poem written on the spot by Noah Higón, RD patient and poet, featuring the first diagnosis that reveals who they truly are, not the disease they face.

To give people the opportunity of obtaining their own Identity Diagnosis, we also programmed an AI Poet where anyone could answer a few questions and receive a personalized poem summarizing their unique approach to life.

THE EXECUTION

Our hero film was the centrepiece of our website and showed the patients of our experiment reading their Identity Diagnoses while viewing important moments in their lives.

The website also hosted our AI poet bot and allowed users to easily share their Identity Diagnosis poems on their social networks.

Seven content creators, from popular Spanish journalists to family and lifestyle influencers, expanded the message to different types of audiences, encouraging them to join the initiative with the hashtag: #MyIdentityIsNotRare We collaborated with two nationally broadcast podcasts, discussing personal stories about who these patients are beyond their illnesses.

Then, we launched a branded content campaign in large general media outlets which extended to audiences in the health sector such as iSanidad. Additionally, several health-focused media platforms such as IM Médico Hospitalario, Infosalus, Diario Medico, and general media such as Pronto, La Razón, and ABC discussed the initiative.

THE OUTCOME

Our film was a success, driving widespread awareness and engagement.

Influencer Campaign: 1,943 clicks.
Podcast: 547,544 video views; 8,410 engagements.
Social Media Campaign: 5,368,971 impressions; 1,849,238 video views (3.27% CTR)
Google Ads: 342,731 impressions; 162,088 video views; 925 URL clicks (.27% CTR)
Branded Content: 3,857,137 impressions; 5,270 article readings
Interviews: 6,223,935 audience
Press Release: 2,687,248 audience