Interview with Carrie Chan from Hong Kong S.A.R., China
July 13, 2023
Interview with Xin Feng from United States
July 13, 2023
The Uninvited is an internal campaign that illustrates the debilitating effects it has on individuals who are inflicted with Chronic Spontaneous Urticaria (CSU) that was spearheaded by Page & Page and Partners and Novartis.
Chronic spontaneous urticaria or in short CSU, is a relapsing, unremitting skin condition that is life-altering that distresses the skin and is complex to diagnose let alone manage. Some of the more general symptoms include itching and burning of the skin, hives (wheals or plaques) at spontaneous. Scientists are still puzzled as to how this condition is developed given as it is still not deduced into a complete research. However, the ramifications it has on its unsuspecting patients is disheartening due to its unpredictability and the condition is known to be linked to mental disorders and metabolic diseases.
The skin condition is also known to have dire complications which includes sleep complications, anxiety, depression, low energy levels, emotional distress and forces the individual to withdraw from society. Patients have also reported a feeling of hopelessness as they continue scrambling from dermatologist to hepatologist in search for a cure and a solution to free them from this torment. Misunderstood by the general public and health professionals, nothing seems to be of solution going as far as being told to avoid certain foods in hopes that the body would not attack itself for adhering to a strict diet.
The morbid condition that continues to terrorize its patients compelled Novartis’ Immunology, Hepatology and Dermatology (IHD) division to shed a light on the very individuals who involuntarily shares their life with condition and how they cope from a day-to-day basis. An internal multimedia awareness campaign was launched to call attention to the wearing effects of the condition on World Urticaria Day 2020. Page & Page and Partners was employed by Novartis and its primary purpose was to bring about a change of conversation and knock the audience off of their daily autopilot and shift their focus onto how individuals cope with sharing a home with CSU.
The visual campaign was inspired by the discernment of various social media platforms spanning across five languages in order to gain a better understanding on the overwhelming impact it has on CSU patients. Rightfully titled, The Uninvited, is included in a series of telling illustration that portrays the condition as such – a common theme that was realized in how the CSU patients view themselves. From the series, patients have even went on to describe that living with the invasive condition is like a separate entity living independent of them. Living as two characters, yesterday, the Beauty and today, the Beast.
It truly gnaws at the soul as to how these individuals do not feel like they have control over their body which is Page & Page and Partners together with Norvis believes it to be imperative to highlight and bring about an awareness surrounding the condition to the public and educate them of the risks along with resources to learn more about said condition. Both parties understand that crippling effects it has on individuals with the afflicted condition that one should not be alone in this battle, providing a supportive group or a space where individuals can come together with people who understand each other the most. The campaign set a record at Novartis with The Uninvited video had a view count of 441 times on launch day which cements their success crossing international waters to Italy, France, Germany and Spain which requested for the material to be translated in their local languages. Both parties again are applauded for their efforts in bringing about a conversation that resulted in achieving a Platinum Winner at the 2023 TITAN Health Awards under the category of Marketing Campaign – Communications Campaign.
