Four million people in the U.S. have hepatitis C and 3 million don’t know it. The unbranded hepatitis C awareness movement was created by Vertex Pharmaceuticals to help spread awareness and understanding of the disease, provide education and encourage individuals who may be at risk to get tested.
New York City was selected as a target market because it is has the highest concentration of individuals infected with hepatitis C in the nation. Hispanics and African Americans were targeted because they have the highest prevalence numbers.
For phase 1, Hidden Cs Around the City, eight-foot-tall yellow C art was placed in eight high-traffic locations and were moved around to a total of 32 locations over a two-week period. U murals and wild postings covered the city with hidden Cs. Brand ambassadors armed with iPads and collateral educated people who passed by.
Microsite BigYellowC.com was launched to further engage and pique curiosity through facts without revealing the disease. Twitter was used to spark conversation about the C art.
Eighteen events were utilized to educate the most at-risk people and their families about hepatitis C. Event messaging was celebratory and educational to help minimize the associated stigma. Bilingual brand ambassadors, signage and collateral helped make the engagement comfortable and easy. Community liaisons and a diagnosed patient mentor attended events to answer more in-depth questions.
DJ Lenny Green attended select events to help draw in multicultural and boomer audiences. Graffiti art was created on site reflecting the sense of neighborhood and hidden nature of hepatitis C through a C trying to hide in the canvas. Local DJs played target-relevant music and drew event attendees in.
At the events, iPads were used to encourage audiences to take risk assessment tests, find a testing location, learn more information, or play with a custom yellow C tile puzzle game. On-site testing was available at select events. Premiums were distributed to each attendee who engaged in conversation with a brand ambassador. The promotion was supported with print, TV, radio, transit ads and social media.
Nearly 3.8 million people passed the Cs; hundreds of Twitterers followed and participated in conversations; and YouTube videos received 1,922 views.
Overall, awareness quadrupled. The phase II microsite, FindHepC.com, received more than 25,000 visits, while more than 23,000 New Yorkers engaged with brand ambassadors for an average of 4+ minutes. Of those, 13,000 were Hispanic and African American. The hotline received 1,346 calls about testing information, while 71 people agreed to be tested on site.
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