The Campaign

In Japan, there is an abundance of information available online and through other media about breast cancer and treatments, however there is little information on the everyday worries of patients (staying fashionable, enjoying hot springs & traveling, etc.) This led us to establish a new website community designed to help breast cancer patients be themselves and enjoy their everyday lives. In addition to addressing the many different worries these patients have, we are working to facilitate communication that helps link society and pharmaceutical companies like Eisai that wish to serve these patients, as well as fulfill our corporate social responsibilities and improve the patients’ quality of life.

The Brief

In Japan, more than 60,000 people contract breast cancer each year. The number of patients is growing and includes post-operation patients who are recuperating, with the total number of survivors reaching 220,000 over the last 5 years. The website has 30,000 visitors each year, or nearly 14% of the 2015 estimated target (including both new and repeat visitors). In fiscal 2016 we aim to attract 44,000 visitors, or one-fifth of the breast cancer survivors who are undergoing treatment or fear the recurrence of breast cancer. In addition, our goal for fiscal 2017 is to attract 60,000 visitors.

Creative Execution

The campaign was launched online on March 31, 2014. Since that time, the information has been updated on a monthly basis. There are organizations and companies that individually provide services to cancer patients. By gathering all this information in one place, the campaign effectively widens the connections and sense of harmony between service providers and the target audience. It also helps to enhance the level of awareness and understanding about the real worries breast cancer patients face in their lives. The campaign is the result of efforts by Rx Healthcare and our client Eisai to try to establish a new form of social contribution for the mutual pursuit of patients’ happiness rather than being content with merely selling medicine. While the site was open in March 2014, there have been significant updates & new sections added as detailed below, along with monthly renewals of content in each section.  July 2014: New Contents “introduction of Yoga program for breast cancer patients, ‘Mamma Yoga’ ”  August 2014: New Contents “Restaurant”  September 2014: New Program “Comprehensive fitness program for breast cancer patients after surgery, ‘Encore’”  January 2015: Results of “Survey of 400 breast cancer patients” posted  March 2015: New Content “Make-up” Created and “Skin make-up lesson for breast cancer patients” Added;  “Beauty salons that offer medical wig styling for cancer survivors”　continually updated with only 25 salons at the beginning and 183 salons as of August 2015

The site is evaluated highlight in patients’ blogs about the campaign, healthcare providers’ evaluations (questionnaires), service providers’ evaluations, and feedback from delighted users. The website has 3000 visitors and 10,000 page views on the average monthly, with an average amount of time spent at the site being two minutes per visit. We also obtain input from patients and healthcare providers when needed, and keep working to update and improve the site so that it offers relevant information. The patient support site, which is completely independent from the products of pharmaceutical companies, represents something that has not yet been attempted in the industry. We believe this site will continue to grow together with patients. We aim to take down the barriers between patients and pharmaceuticals companies, working together with those who wish to help, and widen the sense of harmony between them. We believe these efforts will generate opportunities to further contribute to society.

We also offer corporate and social opportunities to deepen the awareness to support patients in distress. We connect patients with previously unknown groups that wish to support them, and help to promote their work throughout society. The website is a virtual “community” that breast cancer patients can visit when they have a problem. Helping patients to be themselves and live a fulfilling life, the website is designed to dispel the serious and unapproachable image of existing disease-related sites. It is also intended to be more approachable, feminine, and fashionable, thus helping visitors to feel happier and more positive. Organized around the idea of “leading your life the way you want,” the website features an attractive design that enables users to easily identify the information they need. It is set up like a virtual shop directly connected to the typical worries of women, such as clothing, food, and beauty.