Bausch & Lomb was anticipating FDA approval of its 30-day PureVision contact lenses in Fall 2001, but the company knew its launch campaign would have to do more than
introduce the product to the public. First, the campaign would have to reach a dual audience: active contact lens-wearers who wanted less hassle, as well as their eye care
professionals, who were often wary of long-term overnight use. Plus, there was competition from competitor CIBA, which received approval for its own 30-day lens before Bausch
& Lomb. Finally, Bausch & Lomb was simultaneously working to improve an uneven reputation with the eye care community.
The corporate PR team turned to Buck & Pulleyn and its partners in the Worldcom Public Relations Group to execute a campaign that would generate awareness of the product
among both audiences, eliminate safety concerns, improve the company's reputation and ultimately drive sales.
Sharpening their Vision
The team conducted research to find out what hurdles it was facing, reviewing the 1999 launch of the PureVision 7-day contact lens (the same product now being approved for 30-
day use), as well as reports on other medical device launches. What they uncovered: U.S. eye care practitioners were wary of 30-day lenses because patients using them in the mid-
1980s had had bad experiences. These healthcare professionals were unfamiliar with the benefits of the new breed of "silicone hydrogels" when used over extended periods.
Also, some ophthalmologists had rocky relationships with B&L and its sales force in the past, and while the company's reputation was improving, there was still some
discontent.
The team set about determining clear strategies for the campaign. Because CIBA would likely do a major national consumer and advertising push, B&L and Buck & Pulleyn
decided the best course of action would be to leverage the local healthcare media - healthcare beat reporters for local papers and broadcast outlets - who were trusted and
respected sources among consumers nationwide.
The team also would reach out to eye care trades that would be instrumental in reaching the healthcare community. And team members planned personal contact with key
practitioners through a variety of events.
The localized approach was a smart one - but not an easy one. With 22 markets nationwide, Buck & Pulleyn had to rely on agency representatives from no less than 16 of its
Worldcom partner organizations, as well as agency pros at two non-Worldcom companies. Each local team was responsible for local media relations as well as event coordination. Buck
& Pulleyn monitored progress and kept the far-flung team on the same page with an extranet Web site that allowed geographically separate teams to share and review files. "We
had at least three or four people from each agency, a lot more from our own agency, plus the marketing folks from Bausch & Lomb. It must have been more than 50 or 60 hands,"
says Lisa Harrington, SAE with Buck & Pulleyn and the lead on the campaign.
Once approval came down, they hit the ground running over a two-week period with releases, media relations outreach to more than 25 print and online trade pubs, and a variety
of media in each of the 22 locales.
The teams were also in the planning stages for educational dinners for eye care pros, held in 16 cities over eight days. During the events, 630 eye doctors and other
practitioners received brief presentations on clinical trials and how patients would benefit from the lens.
Results
Studies conducted by research firm M/A/R/C in February of 2002 showed 98 percent practitioner awareness, compared with 90 percent in 2001. The launch generated more than
300,000 trade impressions in pubs like Contact Lens Spectrum and Refractive EyeCare for Ophthalmologists. Plus, the number of eye care practitioners willing to consider
prescribing overnight lenses jumped 7 percent between Summer 2001 and February 2002. Consumers also demonstrated high awareness: With 75 million consumer media impressions in pubs
like The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, many patients showed up at their doctors' offices with clippings or called in to ask about whether they could use the 30-day
lenses. Sales of PureVision lenses as of January/February 2002 were 44 percent higher than in January/February 2001.
Campaign Stats
Timeframe: Planning began in October, with the FDA approval coming on Nov. 26. Media relations activities were completed in December, and the practitioner dinners were held in
January. The campaign wrapped up in early February.
Budget: $600,000, including venue rentals, travel, materials production and fees for 19 different agencies.
Keeping an Eye on the Ball
The PR team could easily have been distracted from its goals by a variety of factors:
- The time between B&L's approval of the practitioner dinners and the first event was less than one month, with the December holidays in the middle of it.
- B&L underwent personnel and budget shifts during Fall 2001 which meant constant adaptation of the planned program.
- With 19 agencies working in 22 markets, planning could easily have become unmanageable.
(Contact: Harrington, 585/899-4981)
Buck & Pulleyn received a 2002 PR NEWS Platinum PR Award Honorable Mention for the PureVision campaign in the Product Launch category.