Takeda (previously Shire) and Vue Health  

“A Mom Just Knows”

Hunter syndrome is a very rare disease, occurring in just one in 160,000 live births and affecting mainly boys. It can be hard to diagnose because it appears as a combination of many common childhood ailments, along with a gradual change in facial features. But data showed that there are approximately 220 patients in the U.S. that are not yet diagnosed and receiving treatment. Because early diagnosis and intervention are critical to creating better patient outcomes, this campaign sought to elevate awareness to help identify patients. 

After determining the southern part of the U.S. is underrepresented, it further discovered the gap areas were predominantly Hispanic, even though Hunter syndrome does not have greater prevalence in one ethnic group over another. These areas are also lower in income, and people are less likely to have commercial insurance. That meant they relied more on urgent care, with fewer regular checkups with a pediatrician.

In an impressive use of targeting, the campaign took aim at Hispanic mothers with sons, with all materials in Spanish. And it keyed on the insight that in the Hispanic culture, mothers tend to be fiercely protective of their children. In addition, they are more likely to rely on intuition. “A Mom Just Knows” built on that, using a growth chart to help visualize missed milestones. 

With a budget of $50,000 for ads in Miami and Southern Texas, the two targeted pilot areas, it also spent $10,000 to support mobile, geotargeted ads. In just one month, it drove almost 1,600 unique visitors to the website, with 27% being returning visitors. Based on that success, it’s now expanding into other markets.