The Case
SmithKline Beecham's Paxil has been prescribed as a treatment for depression, panic disorder and obsessive compulsive disorder for nearly a decade. In early 1999, the drug was
in line to receive FDA approval as a treatment for social anxiety disorder. The pharmaceutical giant hired Cohn & Wolfe to help relaunch the product in this context.
Although social anxiety disorder is the most common psychiatric disorder after depression and alcoholism, only five percent of sufferers ever seek treatment. And convincing
reporters and consumers that a seven-year-old medication was still newsworthy would be tough. Meanwhile, other high-profile drugs in the same class as Paxil (e.g., Prozac and
Zoloft) had clinical trials underway to assess their efficacy for the treatment of social anxiety disorder, and competitor Effexor had received approval for generalized anxiety
disorder (GAD) just two months before Paxil's approval. The Cohn & Wolfe team needed to differentiate Paxil from GAD to sustain media focus on Paxil.
Research & Diagnosis
Cohn & Wolfe's first order of business was to gauge market conditions. A national consumer media audit revealed fewer than 50 stories on social anxiety had appeared in
print and broadcast in 1997 and 1998. Most of the stories characterized the disorder not as a serious medical condition, but as a social phobia (shyness), thus trivializing it as
a "lifestyle" issue.
Peer-reviewed studies helped the team to better understand the symptoms, diagnosis and treatment of social anxiety disorder. Results from a Columbia University study indicated
that sufferers wait an average of 13 years before talking with a mental health professional, and eight years before confiding in a family member or friend.
Strategic Planning
The agency team developed a plan to educate reporters, consumers and, in some cases, physicians, in an effort to encourage diagnosis and treatment. Partnerships with third-
party patient advocacy organizations would play an important role in building message credibility. Key strategies included:
- To educate the public about social anxiety as a common, debilitating yet treatable disorder via interviews with patients, physicians and third-party representatives.
- To position Paxil as the first and only treatment for social anxiety disorder.
- To position social anxiety disorder as a severe condition and Paxil as an effective treatment (not merely a "lifestyle" drug such as Viagra).
- To raise visibility of Paxil as a leader in combating a wide range of mood and anxiety disorders, focusing on social anxiety.
Building Momentum
With Paxil's new FDA approval pending, SmithKline Beecham partnered with the Social Anxiety Disorder Coalition, whose members include the American Psychiatric Association, the
Anxiety Disorders Association of America and Freedom From Fear. With their help, the agency team was able to recruit patients who were willing to share their experiences with the
media. "Finding patients really helped put a face on the disorder and made people understand that it's much more than normal shyness," says Holly White, senior account executive
in Cohn & Wolfe's healthcare group.
A telephone press briefing kicked off a media awareness campaign with the theme, "Imagine Being Allergic to People." The push also included a satellite media tour and online
chat with social anxiety experts and patient advocates. The online chat proved an effective means of connecting reporters with patients who otherwise would have avoided social
interaction.
When Paxil received FDA approval in May of 1999, Cohn & Wolfe launched an aggressive media blitz featuring a VNR/b-roll package, press kit, graphics, radio news release and
a matte release (a bylined article for placement in smaller newspapers). Physician and patient spokespeople were also made available to business, consumer and long-lead
reporters.
Most of the resulting national press attention occurred in May, but Cohn & Wolfe staff targeted local reporters over the next several months to enhance the story's shelf
life. In the fall of 1999, the agency conducted three local media tours in the top 25 media markets (featuring local physicians and patients) using the impending holiday blues as
an angle to underscore the severity of social anxiety disorder.
Healthy Outcomes
Paxil's reintroduction secured nearly 1.1 billion media impressions in 1999, with 400 million generated in the month that the drug was granted FDA approval. Media highlights
included the cover of U.S. News and World Report, the "Howard Stern Show," Parade, National Examiner, The New York Times, "Good Morning America" and Vogue.
Ninety-six percent of media coverage delivered the key message, "Paxil is the first and only FDA-approved medication for the treatment of social anxiety disorder."
Paxil sales surpassed those of Zoloft and tied those of Prozac for the first time in history, and the Social Anxiety Disorder Coalition received nearly 12,000 calls to its 800
number.
(Cohn & Wolfe Healthcare, 212/598-2834)
Celebrity Cachet
Never underestimate the power of a celebrity to invigorate a tired media story.
In the months following Paxil's FDA approval as a treatment for social anxiety,
SmithKline Beecham partnered with the Social Anxiety Disorder Coalition to develop
TV and radio PSAs featuring teen idol Donny Osmond, who suffers from the condition.
A second b-roll package, including Osmond's PSA spots and soundbites from physicians
and patients, proved effective in securing added ink and air time. This media
push, combined with an outdoor transit/billboard ad campaign, secured nearly
50 media placements featuring coalition information (35 million impressions).
Cohn & Wolfe Vitals
Founded: 1970
Revenues (1999): $47.3 million
Staff on Paxil account: 7
Project time frame: Dec. 1998 - Dec. 1999
Budget: Would not disclose.