Coloplast

One-third of people living with a stoma have what experts call an ‘outward body profile’ – that is, they have a stoma and a hernia, bulge or curve around their stoma that causes their skin to curve outwards from the belly. Until recently, there wasn’t an ostomy appliance designed to help these people; many used flat appliances and dealt with the complications, worrying daily about leakage more than patients with regular and inward body profiles.

Coloplast decided to conduct extensive research and create an appliance to meet the challenges of outward body profiles. They turned to Advance, their lead agency since 2008, to help develop the global launch for healthcare professionals and users.

 

Real user stories

Our campaign concept centered on real user stories, with no actors used. The film team traveled with Steve and Rachel on their first trip since their surgeries, documenting the trip’s impact on their confidence and peace of mind – and SenSura Mio Concave’s memorable, human impact.

"It’s life changing to receive a chronic diagnosis, and it's well established that having an ostomy impacts quality of life. Worry about leakage may challenge people in returning to their everyday lives and doing the things they did before, including travel and leisure," says Sofie Svarre, Advance's partner responsible for Coloplast.

Advance and Coloplast assembled a toolbox of global marketing assets to reach healthcare professionals and users around the world. Messaging, visuals, copy and videos communicated important product information, key benefits and spotlighted user testimonials that could be translated across languages and cultures. Nothing speaks better to the product’s ability to improve patients’ lives than stories from real patients about worrying less and experiencing greater freedom to live the lives they want.

“Two approaches have to be integrated into everything we do for Coloplast. We’re communicating to both healthcare professionals and users, and that requires different language, framings, and priorities. We also have to balance product and innovation information with the more human/emotional side of finding the right ostomy solution”

- Sofie Svarre, partner and responsible for Coloplast 

The campaign global toolbox included detail aids for nurses, direct mails for users, emails, print ads, banner ads and sales tools for teams around the world. The umbrella concept – “A curved fit for curved areas” – comes from the product’s unconventional, star-shaped baseplate and the fact that fitting a flat surface (or ostomy appliance) over a curved skin surface is problematic for users with outward body profiles. It’s a straightforward concept line for a product that solves an obvious and much needed problem.

Advance lead video concepting, direction, photography, production, copywriting, editing and sound engineering. Photography, quotes, and clips were used for other toolbox materials.

We know that having an ostomy appliance that fits correctly has a huge, positive impact on quality of life¹. Understanding the challenges that people face when trying to fit a conventional product over a bulge, hernia or curve was important to share as part of the campaign, to create awareness of the  underlying needs that led to this important innovation from Coloplast.

 

SenSura Mio Concave has now (November 2018) been launched and is eligible for reimbursement in ten countries. The launch continues to go well, and Coloplast’s new product segment has been well received in the market².

“I'm so touched. It's just so good – to think that we have made a product that gives them such an experience and faith in the future. The movie is amazing! I’m super proud of what we do at Coloplast. Much acknowledgment for you, Advance!”

- Anne Sophie Rahbek Olesen, Director of Ostomy Care

Sources:
(1)   Coloplast Ostomy Life Study, 2015/16
(2)   Coloplast Annual Report 2017/18.