Business Problem

Our client had a formidable presence in the US drug market. They have a very strong lineup of drugs for conditions like inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and other related auto-immune conditions such as Rheumatoid arthritis, Psoriatic arthritis, Psoriasis and more.

Now they wanted to expand in 5 countries across Europe and Asia. But in order to do this, they needed to understand the market first. They needed a better understanding of the disease landscape, competition, influencers, and campaigns in these markets.

Solution

Since our client wanted in-depth analysis of 5 different markets, we started by understanding the regional perspective of IBD. We skimmed through all the major social media platforms and also the key publications across the 5 regions – including regional language publications – to get a grassroots level understanding of the disease landscape.

Our research plotted the markets on a spectrum of:

• High IBD incidence and high disease awareness

• High IBD incidence and low disease awareness

• Low IBD incidence and no disease awareness

For the markets with high IBD incidence and higher disease awareness, we helped our client identify what was driving the social and traditional media engagement. We gave them insights around:

• Current IBD awareness levels & stakeholder perception

• Physician and industry expert opinions on IBD

• Treatment options associated with the condition

• Campaign analysis & Influencer identification

We identified several groups created by physicians, research groups, and advocacy groups that were actively engaged in spreading awareness about the condition. We also pointed out that IBD was used as a broader term to define conditions associated with the inflammation of the digestive tract – specifically Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn’s disease.

As part of our market analysis, we identified the major themes that were associated with the disease and driving conversations in the social media space:

Causes: We identified several causes that were linked to IBD. But the primary ones were:

• Diet & Food habits: A healthy gut system was directly related to the immune system of the body

• Stress: Auto-immune conditions were aggravated by stress

• Deficiency of Vitamin D: Low levels of vitamin D were blamed for IBD

Symptoms: We identified and classified patient disease journey that talked about symptoms.

Diagnosis: Patients sharing their trauma during the diagnosed phase and helping their online peers to understand the disease landscape better

Alternative Treatment Options: We identified a few stories, where patients discussed alternative treatment options like herbal remedies, home therapies, use of cannabis, homeopathy and others.

Patient Lifestyle & Personal Journey: We also shortlisted conversations around lifestyle changes that led to better condition management. A few stories also highlighted the patient journey and coping with life with these conditions.

Research & Clinical Trials: We picked up conversations around trials of new drugs and treatment options.

In addition to this, we also identified the different channels used by key stakeholders for driving the conversations around IBD.

Benefits

Our detailed analysis and insights helped our client plan their entry level strategy into 5 new markets and geographies.

Our channel level analysis gave clarity to our client around which media outlets and publications could help them gain higher market recognition and acceptance. Our research helped them plan their ideal launch vehicle, time, and strategy.

Our client further used our insights to plan more targeted outreach programs. They redefined their campaign strategy and achieved better engagement with prominent influencers.

Our competition analysis helped our client gain insights into their competition’s strategies. We helped them identify their competition’s market positioning and differentiating strategies. This added value to their own launch strategy.