Company: Novo Nordisk
Agency: Biosector 2
In recent years, a great deal of media coverage has been generated about diabetes, which affects 20.8 million people (or 7% of the total population). Many high-profile
celebrities have been active in raising public awareness about diabetes: Hollywood stars (Mary Tyler Moore, Halle Berry), music icons (Patti LaBelle, Della Reese, Mark Collie),
athletes (boxing champ Joe Frazier and Olympic swimmer Gary Hall Jr.) and even a beauty queen (former Miss America Nicole Johnson) generated considerable media attention by
speaking frankly about living with diabetes.
When the pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk wanted a spokesperson to promote its NovoLog product line of diabetes testing and treatment products, it did not
choose to go after an A-list entertainer or world-famous athlete. Instead, the company took an unusual route in 2002 by creating its own celebrity with a Pittsburgh-area mountain
climber named Will Cross.
The company's choice was actually not a total unknown: Cross had recognition in climbing circles as being among the most tenacious expeditioners to ascend a mountain. What
made him stand out in his sport and what attracted Novo Nordisk was the fact Cross had Type 1 diabetes yet succeeded in activities where the daily diabetes management (including
insulin injections and testing) would seem difficult given the sport's physical rigors and extreme weather. Coupled with an attractive backstory of being a high school principal
and the father of five, Cross had the ingredients to be an ideal spokesperson. And the fact Cross was both articulate and telegenic didn't hurt, either.
Cross was preparing for an Antarctic expedition when he was tapped from Novo Nordisk. "At first, I was relieved and excited," he recalls. "Relieved to get title sponsorship
to get to the South Pole, and excited to work at a corporate level at something passionate to me. But honestly, I didn't know what it required when they first approached me."
What was initially required was media training. According to Jackie Krieger, PR strategist for Biosector 2, the New York agency handling the Novo Nordisk activities,
Cross was intensively coached in the basic tenets of answering media question while keeping the Novo Nordisk mission in his answers. "We media trained him several times,
including full day training in a studio," says Krieger. "We worked with him to go over the message. We never let him go into an interview cold turkey."
"There were a lot of mock interviews, complete with lights and sound equipment," adds Cross. "I was very well rehearsed."
Since many of Cross' interviews were going to take place in rough weather environments, Biosector 2 created laminated cards for Cross to carry on his journeys. The cards
included messages for Cross to raise during location interviews, and the lamination ensured the rough weather didn't damage the cards.
Novo Nordisk launched its "NovoLog Peaks and Poles Challenge," in which Cross would attempt to become the first diabetic expeditioner to climb the highest peaks on all seven
continents and to walk across both North and South Poles. Actually, Cross had a bit of a head start: he had already reached the North Pole and scaled three of the peaks before
signing with Novo Nordisk. But for his first sponsored adventure, Cross went beyond merely making news.
In January 2003, Cross made history with his extraordinary 60-day, 730-mile trek on skis across Antarctica to the South Pole. Billed as the "NovoLog Ultimate Walk to Cure
Diabetes," the icebound odyssey landed Cross (the first diabetic to reach the South Pole by foot) in the media as soon as he arrived at his destination and in the weeks after.
Since then, Cross accomplished all of his challenge goals except for the conquest of Everest. He was twice forced to turn back due to problems with weather and equipment and
he is planning a third charge up the mountain this May.
During the past three years, Cross has been a ubiquitous presence on the speaking circuit. Under the NovoLog banner, he's been at the podium in settings ranging from medical
research conferences to summer camps for children with diabetes. For presentations where he is unable to attend, Novo Nordisk produced a 47-minute documentary called "Peaks and
Poles: The Will Cross Story" which highlights his life and athletic triumphs. A companion Web site called peaksandpoleschallenges.com, created by Dan Dehner of the Pittsburgh Web
design firm Lab Werks, keeps people updated on Cross' world.
By December 2005, the PR campaign featuring Cross racked up more than 500 media placements totaling nearly 344 million impressions. Cross' media training paid off with
interviews on all of the major television networks (including ESPN and the Discovery Channel), plus the Voice of America Radio Network, "The Today Show," the
Wall Street Journal and USA Today.
December 2005 also saw Cross make yet another triumphant journey. This time, he headed to New York to accept a PR News Spokesperson of the Year Award. "I was honored
to be nominated and noticed," says Cross. "To be awarded this by professionals who do this for a living is a compliment to Novo Nordisk, Biosector 2 and the work they taught me
to do."
Contacts: Jackie Krieger, [email protected]; Will Cross, 412.361.6171