Why is this work relevant for PR?

The R.E.D Campaign enriched the online information available on neuropathic pain in Korea. Through an integrated online platform, YouTube channel and educational materials, the campaign educated the public, patients and media on the disease and correct treatment information, while inspiring healthcare professionals to take action. Ambient music and videos produced in collaboration with artists raised social awareness for neuropathic pain and changed perceptions on living with it. By using music to engage audiences, this PR campaign not only sparked a conversation about the disease, leading to effective disease education, but encouraged people to become the voice for neuropathic pain patients.

Describe any restrictions or regulations regarding Healthcare/RX/Pharma communications in your country/region including:

In Korea, drug marketing is regulated by the Pharmaceutical Affairs Act (PAA) and supervised by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. Though unbranded, we consulted the Korea Pharmaceutical and Bio-Pharma Manufacturers Association to ensure compliance with laws and regulations.

Describe the target audience and why your work is relevant to them.

The communication target audience for the R.E.D Campaign includes patients, healthcare professionals, and the general public. It aims to not only provide accurate information on neuropathic pain to all target audiences through educational materials and contents, but also raise public awareness of neuropathic pain through a novel approach.

Background

Neuropathic pain is a complex syndrome that affects one in 10 people worldwide. Its symptoms include shooting or burning pain, which are usually accompanied by sleep disorder, anxiety and depression. Early diagnosis is crucial to prevent chronicity and further complications. In Korea, pain is accepted as a natural phenomenon of aging; it is often misunderstood and regarded as something that should be tolerated, especially if it's mild. Adding to this social stigma, there is lack of domestic education and social consensus on neuropathic pain, which further complicates the already complex disease and emotionally isolates patients, even from their families and friends. Although various treatments are available, many patients are left undiagnosed and untreated. Our brief was to come up with an innovative campaign (from creative to execution) to meet the following objectives: provide information on and raise awareness of neuropathic pain, while highlighting the importance of early diagnosis and treatment.

Describe the creative idea (20% of vote)

Considering the difficulty of effective patient education when it comes to complex diseases, we decided to leverage the most intuitive means of communication for all audiences: the senses. In 2020, focusing on "sight," we visualized pain through an illusion-body-painting performance with illusion artist Dain Yoon, allowing audiences to “see” the invisible sensation of pain and understand that "Pain is not an illusion." For the second season of R.E.D Campaign, in 2021, we leveraged the sense of "hearing", based on research that music therapy is effective in treating neuropathic pain patients, while also comforting to broader audiences during this prolonged global pandemic. Partnering with Lucid Fall – a Korean singer-songwriter who creates therapeutic music – we created ambient music to let audiences “hear” the inaudible sensation of pain. We released an ambient music album, "Listen to Pain," containing three tracks—"Listen to your pain", "Express your pain", and "With your eyes open."

Describe the PR strategy (30% of vote)

Given the limited online information on neuropathic pain in Korea, and with studies demonstrating that music therapy is effective in reducing pain, the R.E.D Campaign was designed to dial up support for patients and raise awareness for proactive diagnosis and prevention of the disease. 1) Three ambient music songs and videos were produced under the theme, "Listen to Pain", commanding the broader public’s attention to the pain of not only patients but also those around them. 2) Together with the Korea Medical Assistance Foundation, we operated the "REDY Fund" to cover treatment costs for low-income patients with complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) and facilitate the social rehabilitation of patients. 3) We also developed the "R.E.D Package" program to stimulate active consultation with healthcare specialists, and provided disease-related information to patients through the official R.E.D Campaign website, YouTube channel and offline materials, such as promotional posters and disease-information booklets in hospitals.

Describe the PR execution (20% of vote)

Focusing on "Listen to Pain," each of the three tracks—"Listen to your pain", "Express your pain", and "With your eyes open"—highlights each step of Recognizing, Expressing and Diagnosing neuropathic pain. Collecting sounds that are easily overlooked such as the sound of snow falling, moving water, and trees swaying in the wind, the music is composed to invoke empathy for the physical and emotional pain of patients for audiences, while also healing and comforting patients with its calm, nature-inspired musical scenery. The album was released on various online music platforms, and the music videos of each track disseminated through social channels, the official website and YouTube channel. To widen our reach and generate further media conversation, we shared the campaign’s story with media outlets through TV broadcast, press release, feature articles and interviews, and executed out-of-home and online ads on Google, YouTube and KakaoTalk, South Korea's top mobile messenger.

List the results (30% of vote)

The music tracks were released through 18 streaming services, including global platforms such as YouTube Music and Spotify. Additionally, they were introduced on meditation apps that help increase emotional stability and reduce stress and anxiety of patients. From September 2021 to January 2022, we achieved 19.4M+ media impressions, 396K views on YouTube, and 34.7K+ website visits. Social campaigns generated engagement with 241 influencers, amassing a reach of 1,892,105. Moreover, the market for neuropathic pain treatments in Korea underwent a volume growth of 135% from 213 billion treatments in 2018 to 288 billion in 2021. Pregabalin, which is the ingredient of neuropathic pain treatment, posted a double-digit 3-year Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.5%. As a long-term campaign to change cultural/societal/business situations in Korea, R.E.D campaign is still ongoing to raise further awareness of neuropathic pain and ultimately help improve the neuropathic pain treatment environment and patients' quality of life.