From the innovations developed by international laboratories (use of AI and machine learning, biopharma, digital health…) to the latest international reforms designed to widen the access to care, all arrows point to the same direction: health has become an increasingly important topic, and even more so since the pandemic. Vanksen’s experts zoomed in to try and understand the ways in which digital levers can empower pharma players around the world. Experience taught us that marketing and communication have different rules if you are the CDO or CMO of a European lab. It is strictly forbidden to target patient audiences with content advertising subscription medication. So, what can they do? https://www.vanksen.com/en/insights/empowering-patients-health-professionals-through-digital-content

1. AND HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
EMPOWERING PATIENTS
Follow the North Star
VANKSEN WHITEPAPERS • PHARMA EDITION
THROUGH DIGITAL CONTENT

2. 2
In a post-pandemic world, more than ever…
Health is at the heart of our concerns
*In which of the following areas would it be
most useful to develop personalized
prevention and/or support programs...?
*
1. Cancer
2. Cardiovascular disease
3. Addictions
4. Chronic diseases
(diabetes, etc.)
5. Mental disorders
6. Addiction
7. Sleep
8. Physical activity
9. Well-being at work
→ European Health Union:
Commission proposes
pharmaceutical reform for more
accessible, affordable and
innovative medicines

3. 3
So, we wanted to know how
Vanksen can digitally
empower the brands that
support our health.
All information provided in this study is based on interviews and online research. Due to international complexity, it is
preferable for all ideas to be confirmed by your companies’ legal department before being applied to your market and brand.

4. 4
We worked with many laboratories through the years and one thing we know by now is…
The importance of legal restrictions and ethical conduct
when communicating for players of this field.
In France, in most European countries, in Canada…
Laboratories cannot generate marketing content about the
medicine* they develop, use the color or patterns of their
product packaging, mention anything about their formulas…
But everything else is ok : creating educational content for
patients, co-creating content with doctors, partnering up with
patient associations…
*We are focusing on medication that requires prescription rather than OTC
(Over the Counter) products that are much less regulated in all countries.

5. 5
Marketing options in
high regulation markets
Educational content
Patient stories &
advocate interviews
Neutral product
information
Expert media PR
Clinical Trials
Blog & SEO content
Fully integrated
marketing campaigns
Coupons &
Loyalty Prog.
E-commerce
Partnership
with doctors
Partnership
with patient
associations
Health
Conferences
Social Media
Digital levers pharma brands may use
Depend on their markets’ levels of restriction
Marketing options in
low regulation markets
and OTC products
While in countries like France, pharma players can only look to generate content that educates and serves the patients’ journeys, in the US, brands can offer
loyalty coupons, lead brand content activations, write convincing taglines and do almost everything any FMCG brand would do for their marketing…

6. 6
In order to understand the stakes and challenges
of European* players further and inspire them, we decided to :
1 2
Lead an online research
and audit their digital
communication
Interview their marketing
experts
Explore US trends to
understand health related
digital insights that
develop in the absence of
legal restrictions
*Why choose to focus on Europe and France ? Our goal : empowering the most restricted markets in priority.

7. 7
WHAT WE LEARNED
01 Sensitize or inform : two main levers for pharma players
Specialized online platforms : the US trend of niche one-stop-shops
02

8. 8
WHAT WE IMAGINED
01 Sensitize or inform : two main levers for pharma players
03 Case Study : how to create and empower an educational health content platform
Specialized online platforms : the US trend of niche one-stop-shops
02
As we cannot share our actual clients’ case studies in respect of their secrecy, our experts came
together to work on a hypothetical brief and script to take you through the steps of digital brand
empowerment, applied to the pharma field in EU.

9. FRENCH STAKES
Sensitize or inform : two main levers
01
a) Key learnings from our interviews
b) Best-of-benchmark
Awareness Campaigns
Educational Platforms

10. 10
a) Key learnings from
our interviews

11. 11
Many thanks to the professionals
who contributed to our research
And to those who chose to remain anonymous.

12. 12
Key learnings of our interviews
The laboratories' reputation is key to generate medical experts’ trust. Working on new molecules that will be game changers is the best way for a company
to generate word of mouth in the media. Rather than brand preference, the product efficiency and « application friendliness » (easy to use or inject, etc.) will
generate unique value propositions that will guide the doctor’s decision process when prescribing.
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

13. 13
Key learnings of our interviews
Or to inform the patients :
- Who may not know about the existence of the disease or people who may have it
- With content that will correct the misinformation they were exposed to online
- Help them prepare their consultations (what questions to ask the doctor, what
documents to bring)
- Help them adopt habits that will ease their patient journey
The main goal is to either equip the doctor with content which :
- Will help train them (understand the science and how / when to prescribe or use)
or keep them up to date with current research,
- They can show their patients during consultation to help explain their disease and
healing journey
- They can recommend to their patients to support their journey
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

14. 14
Key learnings of our interviews
They may:
Create the content (ideally if not already existing/produced by others) and offer
password-requiring spaces reserved to medical professionals, or digital
ecosystems external to their website tailored to each disease and to the targeted
patients’ needs, or on the laboratory’s corporate blog
Finance and support a patient association who will create its own platform,
Or adopt the role of a curator gathering important links
Limitations :
Audiences with chronic disease expect educational content platforms to keep
feeding them with new content on a frequent basis. Most Pharmaceutical
companies don’t have the resources to keep the pages up to date.
Internet users are constantly exposed to high quality content. Most pharma
players are too shy when it comes to developing an engaging tone of voice or
making use of graphic design to empower their platforms and content. The
industry wants to remain “serious” to avoid being mistaken for promotion.
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

15. 15
Key learnings of our interviews
During the pandemic, doctors got fed up with e-mails. If the medical liaison has a good relationship with the doctor, they may still open the e-mailings but only if it is
related to « environment topics » (meaning nothing to do with the medical products of the lab). Some labs are currently using AI to suggest more engaging content
formats before the field teams send the weekly emails to their contacts. These tools are trained daily to adapt their recommendations.
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

16. 16
Key learnings of our interviews
The most important need of Pharmaceutic Laboratories’ communication and marketing departments are qualified insights about the digital behavior of their target
audiences, in order to improve their strategies. For example, knowing what “a doctor” does online doesn’t mean much to them. Knowing what an oncologist does is
much more specific and would enable the digital efforts to be more efficient. To this day, data is mostly extracted from the sales teams’ personal experiences. Some
laboratories also have in house patient groups, meaning the employees with health issues willing to provide information on their patient journeys.
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

17. 17
Key learnings of our interviews
Podcasts allow pharma companies to create content with patients, interviewing them on their patient journeys. These genuine formats not only attract other patients
and help them feel heard and seen, but it also gives doctors insight into their real day-to-day experience. During consultations, health professionals have very little time
to hear their patients out in every detail. Podcasts allow them to learn more while multitasking (commutes, chores..).
Reputation
Reputation
E-mailing
Content
Insights
Podcast

18. 18
b) Best-of-benchmark
Awareness Campaigns
Educational Platforms

19. 19
Here are some of the latest French
awareness campaigns

20. 20
Educational Content
Sensitization Campaign
Mediatization
Reduces risks of 75%
Medical marketing is fueled by information that has PR value.
Having good results at clinical trials is key to convince media to
talk about them, generating valuable earned media.
Partnership
SANOFI’s awareness campaign for Bronchiolitis Sanofi and Astra
Zeneca joined forces
on their legitimate
vaccines expertise to
publish powerful
clinical trial results on
a Bronchiolitis
treatment. Its name is
being shared on major
media outlets as
having “the power to
save newborn lives”.
Their strong results
did not stop the
laboratories from also
investing in a video ad
using emotional
storytelling to warn
young parents from
the situations that
may cause the
disease.
“
“

21. 21
One out of every 3
women are under the
risk of developing
osteoporosis after 50,
if they are not
treated.
The laboratory
developed a creative
concept called
“porcelain bones” and
collaborated with a
notorious craftsman
to design a set of
porcelain plates to
demonstrate the idea.
The key message of
the print and video ad
(meant for cinema
and social media) :
“Your bones can
become as fragile as
porcelain.”
A visual metaphor is
often stronger than a
thousand words.
AMGEN’s awareness campaign for Osteoporosis

22. 22
Co-developed for the
third year in a row
with Global Heart
Hub (regrouping heart
disease associations),
the #BecauseISaySo
campaign aims to
encourage
mainstream
audiences to
frequently measuring
their blood pressure.
Print and video ads
cover all basis :
children are asking
their grandparents to
do so, and seniors are
telling their own
children who are now
in their forties or
fifties to start paying
attention. All
generations are thus
involved.
The hashtag aims to
take the topic to
social media.
Video & Campaign Web Site
France + 50 countries
SERVIER’s awareness campaign for Hypertension

23. 23
Bayer aims to help
break the taboos
around men’s health.
The lab had already
partnered with the
association CerHom
before and produced
a series of three web-
videos to educate
about prostate
cancer.
This new humorous
campaign generates
word of mouth
playing around with a
behavior that some
men are not so shy
about and probably
should be ! Sending
unsolicited “d**k
picks”. But this time,
they are invited to do
it for a good cause.
“Testicular cancer is the most common
cancer among young adults between 15-
35 years. Arc Foundation). However,
young men do not have the reflex to go
and see a doctor. Only 26% of men
consult a doctor regularly and many
diseases and infections are diagnosed too
late.” link
Bayer’s awareness campaign for Prostate Cancer

24. 24
Awareness Campaigns Best Practices
Partnership with health associations or even other
laboratories to enforce legitimacy
Emphasis on clinical trial results
Emotional storytelling and use of visual metaphors
Using hashtags and key concepts to bring the
conversation to social media
Addressing a cross-generational audience
Educational video web-series

25. 25
b) Best-of-benchmark
Sensitization Campaigns
Educational Platforms

26. 26
Educational content platforms
developed by key players

27. 27
How do individuals
understand complex
health related topics ?
How do they learn and
adopt positive lifestyle
changes in their lives ?
The answers to these
questions are a key
element of interest for
pharma players who
are looking to create
educational content
that can be effective
and truly helpful.
From webinars to
interactive
infographics or even
films with multiple
possible endings, these
platforms are meant to
engage and encourage
behavioral change.
A multitude of educational formats
Fertility & Merck
Asthma & Astra Zeneca
Chronic diseases
& Astra Zeneca
Webinar
Interactive Film
Interactive infographic

28. 28
Some diseases or
health problems
unfortunately only
concern younger
individuals.
In such cases, pharma
companies try to
understand the
insights relative to
their needs and look
to adapt both the
graphic design and
the tone of voice to
them and their
parents.
But their everyday
consumption of social
content turns them
into demanding users,
tough to engage.
They expect
“creators’ content”
level of quality and
snackable formats.
Looking to adapt to younger generations
Papillomavirus & MSD Children’s growth disorder & Merck
Did you know ?
True or false ?

29. 29
Some labs like MSD
tend to speak about
“services”. Their key
question is : “How can
we better serve
patients and medical
professionals?”
That’s what leads
them to developing a
complex and
thorough ecosystem
of content looking to
cover all grounds
from serious scientific
web sites, to
entertaining content
(even serious games)
aiming to facilitate
the understanding.
Their latest project :
collaborating with a
start-up to connect
former patients with
new patients to
create a support
system.
A service first approach
Cancer & MSD
Serious Game
Cartoon Infographics
Connect with a former patient
Resources for patients and
health professionals

30. 30
Having a visual
identity that remains
serious enough to
tackle tough topics
but warm enough to
welcome the
audience… Such is the
goal for these
platforms.
Understanding the
patient’s journey
allows the
development of a
tailored content
architecture, designed
around key editorial
pillars and delivered
through a
continuously
improved user
experience.
But most labs lack the
resources to keep
these platforms alive,
updated and digitally
efficient.
An editorial calendar to keep up with
Multiple sclerosis & Roche
UX content filters
Cancer & Astra Zeneca
Expert Advice
Personnalized Approach

31. 31
Once the patients
have understood
what causes the
disease and how to
manage their
treatment or the
protocols to follow,
they still have lives to
live.
That’s why it is
crucial to support
them from A to Z,
from detecting and
managing the disease
to empowering their
mental health and
well being within the
perimeters set by
their conditions and
special needs.
Having a holistic and
humane approach is
key for long term
utility and
engagement.
Coaching patients forward
Psoriasis & Novartis
Sexual dysfunction & Menarini Rheumatoid & BMS
Cancer & BMS
Physical Coaching
Evaluation Quiz
Nutrition
Mental Health
Preparing the consultation

32. 32
Most laboratories that
are content creators
are investing in what
is called “patient
stories”.
These are often videos,
but more and more,
they appear to take
the form of podcasts.
Why ?
These longer formats
where people may
hide their faces and
change their names
allow them to tell their
full stories while
protecting their
privacy. Other
patients in the
audience feel heard,
less lonely and doctors
can obtain more
detailed insights.
Better together through podcasts
MICI & AbbVie Multiple sclerosis & Novartis
Podcast
FB Live

33. 33
Training the doctors
Campus Sanofi
Merck Pro Santé
MSC Connect
To create a private
access platform
dedicated to health
professionals or not to
do it ? That is the
question.
On the one hand, it is
key to feed the medical
experts with
educational content to
empower their practice
and develop loyalty, but
on the other hand,
some say they are
offered so many
accesses that they only
have a look once at all
the pages, save the
content they like and
never visit again.
While this arena may
look like a saturated
red ocean, high quality
content and well-
designed experiences
can still make a
difference.

34. 34
And there is more…
HS & Novartis
While at a first glance
marketing in the
pharma industry may
look very restricted,
the more we search
and the more we find
examples of new ways
in which laboratories
push their creativity
forward.
From developing
documentaries to
artistic collaborations,
there is still a lot that is
being explored.
Pharma players’
brands are built
around how useful
they can be to patients
and doctors, therefore
setting the right KPIs
guides the path to the
right kind of digital
creativity and
performance.
Cancer & BMS
Documentary Artistic Experience
Chat Bot
Instagram
TikTok

35. 35
Content Platform Best Practices
Choosing content formats most adapted to the
target audience, but also most efficient in terms of
education
Developing a differentiating editorial identity,
Distinguishing the content platforms and editorial
vocabulary and tone for professional's vs patients
Adapting content to age groups

36. 36
Unfortunately, most of these platforms are low performers
But why ?

37. 37
We asked our interviewees, and the
explanations appear to be multiple :
It may be due to Google’s updates
e-health websites that present themselves as online
magazines have lost visibility since Google’s 2020
update. This is the case, for example, of e-sante.fr, which
has lost over 55% of its visibility.
Or to the to lack of :
Internal marketing team resources
(time/expert)
A sufficient media budget
Or the lack of content renewal
SEO optimizations
Content quality vs audience expectations
UX design

38. 38
Most laboratories’ own websites are high performers, but integrating
these content into their main platforms doesn’t seem to be an option.
IMAGE : The lab must remain a serious figure and protect its
corporate image (no content that may even slightly be
interpreted as marketing)
ENGAGEMENT : Whereas these tailored platforms aim to
generate proximity with the patients, while convincing the
medical professionals that they are a reference in the field.
Moreover, these links are present on the brochures most often
given to patients after their consultations…. And no one wants to
visit a lab’s website for health information.
See last section to discover how Vanksen would work on such a
project and empower the efficiency of a content platform.
And yet, they are definitely needed*
*
*When the required content isn’t already widely available.

39. US TREND WATCH
Specialized online platforms and niche one-stop-shops
02

40. 40
a) Specialized platforms

41. 41
Thirty Madison is a
healthcare corporation
that develops
disruptive, specialized
healthcare brands.
Keeps is a platform
that promises to
deliver treatments
50% cheaper than the
pharmacy, delivered
right at your door.
Being specialized on
one specific health and
well-being issue for a
specific audience helps
create content that
can be well targeted
and highly engaging.
The branding is simple
yet memorable, while
the naming clearly
indicates the purpose
in a short and
contemporary way.
Highly targeted content
Hair loss & Keeps

42. 42
Such platforms focus
the content on the
patient’s most pressing
pain points : “Dealing
with itchy, red, and
irritated skin? Not sure
if it’s eczema, dandruff,
or psoriasis?”
This helps with SEO
performance and
makes sure the
audience feels
understood.
One of the key hassles
with skin disease is the
long wait before an
appointment. These
platforms work with
dedicated “medical
providers” that can
eliminate the wait for a
doctors’ appointment.
Once again, the
branding is simple yet
differentiating for this
market.
Aiming at the pain points
Dermatology & Facet

43. 43
One of the main
innovations these
platforms offer : they
understand that the
patients have unique
symptoms and need
everything from the
medical support to the
final formula to be
adapted to their
condition.
All Cove treatments
have the same
branding on their
packaging because the
unique value
proposition is not the
“medical product” but
the “medical promise” :
you will be helped.
This is fully aligned
with the current trend
of personalized health
care.
Tailored solutions
Migraine & Cove

44. 44
Fertility & Kindbody Allergies & Picnic
A potential community around each condition
Empathy is the key
element at the heart of
Thirty Madison’s
strategic and creative
approach.
Each brand is designed
around the emotional
and medical needs of
patients and the
understanding of what
they experience daily,
their journeys, allows
the development of
high quality, engaging
content.
They feel heard,
connected to others
with the same
conditions,
empowered beyond
their issues. The brand
identities are all
conceived to convey
messages of positivity
and togetherness.

45. 45
b) Niche platforms

46. 46
Teenagers & Luna
Age-adapted platforms Health means getting
to know our bodies
and minds, having
needs specific to the
cycle of life we are
going through and it
requires finding the
right help to overcome
our challenges.
Teenagers may hide
their issues, not dare
talking about them or
not know how to…
Seniors may not have
anyone to hear them
out.
Specialized platforms
can make sure they
can tailor the format of
communication and
content to their
conditions and help
them remain “in the
health system”.
Seniors & Boomers Hub

47. 47
Hispanic community & Zocalo
Cultural communities “We want a health
care team that speaks
our language, delivers
compassionate care
and aligns with our
culture.”
Such is the vision and
mission of Zocalo,
based on a key insight :
foreigners, expats,
immigrants are most
vulnerable when they
encounter health
issues. The language
barrier then becomes
an even bigger
challenge, and they
need to fee that they
are in a familiar “safe
space” more than ever.
Such platforms enable
a sense of community
and generate high
levels of engagement.

48. 48
Jewish Community & OKClarity
But culture is not
limited to a nationality
or a territorial sense of
belonging.
Religious and spiritual
beliefs can largely
influence how one
cares for their physical
and mental health,
their relationship to
their bodies and minds.
The editorial voice, the
insights that only
insiders can know of
and integrate in the
content and key
messages… All of these
make a difference
when engaging a niche
community.
Muslim Community & RuhCare
Belief based communities

49. 49
Women of color & Health in Her Hue
Women, people of
color, LGBTQI+
members, individuals
with disabilities or on
the neurodiverse
spectrum…
Health professionals
may lack the
education to tend to
their needs without
being offensive or
ignorant.
Adapting the services
and content to a
community may also
mean creating a safe
space for individuals
whose rights are not
yet fully being
respected in society,
creating a space where
their needs can be
curated to, heard, seen,
understood and
celebrated.
Diversity empowering platforms
Transgender community & Folx

50. 50
Families & Cleo
Parents must take care
of themselves so they
can care for their
children and parents,
all the while they work
full time jobs and tend
to the chores of their
homes and
administrative tasks.
They may have
children or family
members with special
needs as well as they
be divorced and led to
cross-manage highly
complex agendas.
Once again, focusing
on these specific
insights is what
enables the
development of
tailored services and
engaging brands.
Lifestyle supporting platforms

51. 51
US Best Practices
Understanding the health insights of niche groups
Understanding ones related to specific diseases
Tailor designing services
Tailor designing digital experience
Telling a compelling story
Developing a tailored brand around it
Developing an editorial identity adapted to the DNA

52. 52
NAMED
WITH A PURPOSE
Each of these platforms
are strong digital brands
DESIGNED
TO CONNECT
SOCIAL
FIRST

53. CASE STUDY
Designing a powerful educational health content platform
03

54. 54
Let’s make the best of both worlds
A European lever :
Content platform
A US lever :
Specialization
Exploration
As we may not share our ongoing projects due to secrecy agreements signed with our clients, our experts
came together to work on an exploratory case. What if…. ?

55. 55
Our exploratory brief
Let’s imagine a pharmaceutic company, expert in bronchiolitis and
asthma, briefed us.
What ?
An educative content platform for French* Market
For whom ?
Parents with newborns and children with pulmonary health issues.
Why ?
Being useful to them and to medical professionals.
Being recognized as a referent in the field.
Educating parents : recognizing symptoms, helping diagnose, prepare the doctors
appointment, content for the children, content that doctors can use with their patients….
*This brief is focused on France, but our experts are equipped to provide insights and work on projects for markets globally.

56. 56
INSIGHTS : Strategic Advisory, SEO, UX & DATA
and Social Listening teams combine their strengths
to break the brief down and lead research for
relevant insights about the brand, the future users
and audiences, the market, social and digital trends.
IDEATION : The insights and benchmark analysis
enable the development of a creative brief and of an
editorial line by the Strategic Advisory team. Design
teams will work on mood boards and develop the
visual identity of the content platform and Social
Media teams will advise on the type of content that
will be most engaging. SEO teams will advise on the
type of content required to perform online. UX &
Data teams will work on the architecture and user
experience design, while the developers will
brainstorm with the designers on the best technical
solutions.
PRODUCTION : Project managers, designers
and developers will work hand in hand with
continuous access to the rest of the experts when
their input may be needed throughout the iterations.
Media, SEO, UX and Social listening teams will
activate the required levers to ensure and keep
monitoring the efficiency of the platform.
1
ANALYSIS
2
CONCEPTION
3 PRODUCTION
STRATEGY
PERFORMANCE
A step by step
methodology
(If need be replicable on
all markets locally)

57. 57
The goal of the Vanksen North Star is to guide you through the right
questions while developing your digital strategies.
In this demo, we will share with you some of the key questions our experts would ask before developing a
recommendation for such a project and share a few key data and visuals to inspire you on the way.

58. 58
1. Insights

59. 59
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
ASTHMA
Asthma in itself
is a main topic for
French Internet users
115.6K
1.2M
Engagement and as many views
on the #asthme on TikTok
Vs. 2M for diabetes
Mentions related to asthma in the French market
over the last 13 months on the open web
VS. 303.9K mentions related to diabetes
According to Ameli.fr, Asthma affects approximately 4 million people in
France, and is responsible each year for nearly 60,000 hospitalizations
(38,000 in asthmatics over the age of 15) and almost 1,000 deaths.
Social Listening
Strategic Advisory

60. 60
57
53
67
88
83
86
71
74
81
72
81
68 68
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
juil-22 août-22 sept-22 oct-22 nov-22 déc-22 janv-23 févr-23 mars-23 avr-23 mai-23 juin-23 juil-23
Main periods of interest towards the topic :
March, May, October, November, December.
Content must be planned, taking into account the engaging themes of
these high seasons, and a paid media boost can ensure visibility.
Cold temperatures and allergy season seem to lead
the periodicity of internet user’s search behavior
Google Search Trends 2023

61. 61
“Young children” appears to be one of
the main topics of conversation
Social Listening
Open Web Analysis France asthma theme 2023

62. 62
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
23.3K
303K
Engagement
Mentions related to childhood asthma in the French
market over the last 13 months on the open web
Childhood Asthma
represents 20% of the
overall conversation,
further confirming the relevance of the project.

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The most frequent chronic children’s disease
Monthly search volumes in France:
Bronchiolitis : 216 290 > Asthma : 210 270
30%*
The epidemic of bronchiolitis impacts
of children between 1 to 2 years.
*Source

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So, we interviewed health specialists
To gain further insight into what parents go through
Babies often start with repeated bronchiolitis cases that may hide and later reveal that the
child has asthma. As they grow up the asthma may disappear, but if it doesn’t, they will have
to live with it.
Each child has different types of symptoms that can indicate asthma and parents have a
hard time recognizing them.
Once the child is diagnosed there is a complete protocol to apply twice a day. They often
make mistakes in the order in which they need to use the medication, they have doubts on
how to clean the inhaling chamber, they struggle with keeping their babies stand still for 15
to 20 minutes during the procedure.
The use of inhaling products may have secondary effects on the child's skin and cause
mycosis. They also need to learn to clean the babies’ face afterwards to avoid such
additional health issues.
Asthma crisis can sometimes be caused by other prescribed medication such as strong
antibiotics and often, babies with asthma will also have gastric reflux.
SYMPTOMS
CARE
“
“
UX & Data
Strategic Advisory

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Parent’s main source for information turned out
to be and , as well as
“asthma schools” available in each city.
But digital moms that are very present in other topics, don’t seem to be taking upon themselves the
creation of online content to share advice on how to care for a child or newborn with asthma.
No influencers or blogs seem to be widely notorious on the topic.
Hospitals
Doctors

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Parents are highly anxious, and they overcrowd ERs…
Horrible experiences of not
knowing how to deal with the
asthma attacks
Recommendation of respiratory
physiotherapy
Outrage against doctors that
lack empathy
Signs of parental burn out
Lack of sleep due to nocturnal
asthma attacks
Issues with access to
medication under emergency
situations…
Our interview also revealed that parents with
asthmatic children have a hard time finding support
with their families. No one wants to babysit an
asthmatic child and take such high responsibilities.

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And medical professionals are overwhelmed
Parents who are misinformed or lack the right education
overcrowd emergency rooms and keep asking their
doctors for help and information.
Doctors still try to help through social media

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Creating a content platform for these
parents would help relieve both health
professionals and themselves

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Parents are mostly searching for
answers regarding their newborns
77
6.750
identified key words
monthly searches
How long ?
Until what age ?
Asthma Attack
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Nursery
Nocturnal Cough
Dangers
SEO

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In France, between 2022 and 2023, all search activities for key words relative to asthma have increased in volume.
Same trend applies to search related to newborn babies :
Ventoline bebe: 2400/mois, +14%
Asthme bebe: 590 /mois, +22%
Asthme nourrisson: 390/mois, +22%
Traitement asthme nourrisson:70/mois, +40%
Asthme du nourrisson durée: 70/mois, +33%
Asthme chez le bebe: 50/mois, +25%
Asthme chez le nourrisson: 30 /mois, +50%
Traitement asthme bébé: 30/mois, +200%
Asthme bebe 5 mois: 20/mois, +100%
Bronchite asthmatique bébé: 20/mois, +100%
Baby Ventolin: 2400/month, +14%
Asthma baby: 590 /month, +22%
Infant asthma: 390/month, +22%
Infant asthma treatment: 70/month, +40%
Infant asthma duration: 70/month, +33%
Asthma in babies: 50/month, +25%
Treatment asthma baby: 30/mois, +200%
Asthma in infants: 30 /month, +50%
Baby asthma 5 months: 20/month, +100%
Baby asthmatic bronchitis: 20/month, +100%
Increasingly…
#Baby #NewBorn #Treatment #Age #Duration

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Asthma
Asthma attack
Allergic asthma
30 seconds
asthma test
asthma inhaler
Asthma treatment
Exercise-induced
asthma
False asthma
symptoms
I healed from
asthma
Ventolin intake
Aerosol asthma
Asthma cough
Asthma cat
Asthma covid
Bronchial asthma
Cardiac asthma
Heat asthma
Asthma ginger
Chronic Asthma
Severe Asthma
Ventoline
Calming asthma
without ventoline
Dosage ventoline
Medication asthma
Nocturnal asthma
attacks
...
Newborns are the 4th most searched for topic
Newborn’s
asthma

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While keeping our main target around
parents of asthmatic children in large,
parents of newborns and babies will be
our most strategic audience.

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Relevant content exists, but it’s scattered around the web
In all formats : articles, images, videos, podcasts…
Latest pediatric
recommendations
How to clean the house
with asthmatic children
How to manage babies’
asthma attachs ? Symptoms for
babies’ asthma
How to use and clean
equipment

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And most pharma companies’ content
aim at asthma for adults or in general
GSK Sanofi Astra Zeneca
Although they publish brochures and
pdfs regarding asthmatic children’s
care, rather as a side topic to cover,
guiding them to the main asthma
website.

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2. Conception

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Based
on our
analysis…

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Our key audiences
and their differences
When it’s your first child,
you’re still under the pressure
of learning everything about
child’s care and asthma adds
a layer of pressure and
unknown on top of it
Is it bronchiolitis or asthma ?
Different symptoms and
treatments based on the age
of the child and different
physical and psychological
needs as well
Toddlers and children start to
understand what’s going on and
they will need explanations of
their own
Or content / activities to keep
them busy or reassure them in
various situations related to
asthma (emergency room, during
treatment)
Grandparents, uncles and aunts,
teachers and babysitters also
need to be informed as to the
right reactions to have in case of
emergency to avoid isolating
parents in their roles
From doctors to pharmacists and
nurses, professionals need to be
supported in finding accessible
content that supports their
patients
Understanding individual differences and sub-circles will
increase engagement levels as supported by US trends.
Strategic Advisory

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Key topics in which parents need
to be educated and supported
Diagnosis: recognizing symptoms, differentiating bronchiolitis and asthma..
*Treatment : understanding the medicine, the protocol of treatment, the order of use, how to
apply… (also a topic very searched for in terms of * SEO)
Dealing with attacks : recognizing an emergency, having the right reactions…
Entertaining the child : how to keep a baby still for 20 minutes, how to calm them at the
hospital…
Cleaning : the house according to an asthmatic child/newborn, the equipment, the child’s
face…
Related health complications : understanding the link between antibiotics and asthma, facial
mycosis, acid reflux…
IEP (Individual Education Plan) : what is an IEP, how to use it with institutions…
Parents’ Well-being : finding specialized babysitting solutions in your region, caring for your
own health, finding support, paring up with parents who’ve already gone through these
stages…
Child’s psychology : being able to explain to the child (depending on their age) what they are
going through, supporting them through the emotions they go through
Child’s fulfillment : understanding what environments, nutrition and activity is good for them in
their condition…

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I want to know all relevant information
To feel confident in unexpected situations and also to
minimize the impact of asthma in my child’s life
But I always fear that there is more that I should know
Key insight : the parents
are under high pressure
“ “

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They don’t only need information.
They need support.
FEELING REASSURED
UNDERSTANDING
THE SCIENCE
LEARNING TO DO
THE RIGHT THINGS
Why they will come back
Why they will visit
Creative
brief
The platform will have to help
them understand asthma and
teach them the right gestures and
reactions in all scenarios, but most
of all, the platform will need to be
their best ally to feel reassured.

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Editorial Line
Everything parents of asthmatic children
and newborns need to know.
“ “

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Parents. Breathe.
Naming
Because you need to breathe first, in order for your child to breathe.
An IP check was run to confirm the availability of domain names in both languages.
Strategic Advisory
Creative
IP
“
“

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WARM SERIOUS
FORMAL CASUAL
RESPECTFUL IRREVERENT
CONCEPTUAL MATTER OF FACT
An upbeat approach, that can choose the right words when there is gravity.
Proximity and feeling understood is key. We speak their language.
Valuing the parents and questioning ways in which society needs to change when required
We can be creative, but we focus on being understood.
FRIENDLY – EXPERT – EMPATHETIC – CARING – DIRECT – ACCESSIBLE – EDUCATIONAL – EMPOWERING
Tone of Voice:
Your «favorite friendly pulmonologist»
Strategic Advisory
Social Media
Creative

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DAILY
CARING & LIVING
3 Editorial Pillars
EMERGENCIES
CALMING & CONTROLING
SUPPORT
LOVING & CONNECTING
Education about diagnosis,
treatments, daily care and
activities, educating the child…,
How to know it’s an
emergency, how to deal with
attacks, how to avoid them…
Caring for your well-being,
finding the right support,
informing your loved ones…
The content platform’s
aim will be to cover all
the topics through
accessible formats of
content, while bringing
a positive and
reassuring tone of
voice.
Empathy will be at the
core of the editorial
line and serious topics
will be treated with
the gravity they
deserve.
Our promise is to help
the parents take a
deep breath, so they
can better care for
their asthmatic
children.

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UNDERSTANDING
CHILDHOOD ASTHMA
CRISIS MANAGEMENT
DAILY LIFE
OPTIMIZATION
A FULFILLED CHILD
WELL SUPPORTED
PARENTS
Is my child asthmatic ?
Different types of asthma
At what age can it start ?
Symptoms
Possible complications
Related diseases
Recognizing an asthma attack
Managing the attack
ER or not ?
Tips to keep the child busy at
the hospital
New habits to adopt
Understanding the various
protocols
Cleaning the equipment
Cleaning an asthmatic
household
Informing and reassuring
your child
Teaching them the right habits
Keeping them busy and still
during protocols
Helping them to choose their
physical activities
Informing the school (IEP*)
The School of Asthma
Meeting other parents
Testimonies of the community
Preventive actions
News
Simplifying the babysitting of my
asthmatic child
A UX-optimized content architecture, perfectly embodying our editorial line
Parents Breathe…
Content designed to address parents’ anxieties first
and gradually leading them towards long lasting peace of mind.
Individualized Education Plan (IEP*)

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E
A
T
Expertise
Content with high added value:
informative, clear and
exhaustive.
It must link to reliable sources
and have a rich vocabulary.
Internal linking must be present
and emphasized.
Authority
Prove the author's expertise and
legitimacy with external links.
Apply a net linking strategy with
sites recognized in their field.
Trust
The website must be
trustworthy and transparent in a
number of areas: data collection,
reviews, complete information in
the event of a transaction, and
so on.
When it comes to health, it's all the more
important to comply with EAT criteria
Our content will also have to be EAT-optimized
SEO

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But how will
look and feel ?

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We started with a quick benchmark of the
styles used in the media addressed to parents
and children.
Design

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We were then able to narrow the visual elements
that will best embody the platform’s editorial
identity into a moodboard.

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Moodboard

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Next step : figuring out our design system by
working on some first visual prototypes.
Design

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Once the prototypes are validated, we could
translate it into a brandbook*
Design
*For this case study, we will summarize the graphic design guidelines in a simple
one pager, while the real format of a brandbook contains the entire brand
platform explained and additional sections that explain the design system, the
dos and don’ts as well as prototype examples of the main touchpoints.

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Design
And without further ado…
Here are the first glimpses of our Parents.Breathe. content platform.

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So now… How do we attract the right
audiences to this beautiful platform ?
Media
KPIs : Unique Visits
Time spent / page
Engagement rate
Rebound rate
Returning Visitors rate
Interaction rate
Cost Per Thousand
Cost Per Click
Paid Media Strategy :
Attracting a large audience with the general
topic around childhood asthma to detect
parents of asthmatic infants and children to
focus investments on engaging the main
target audience of ParentsBreathe.
*See next
page

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Let’s define the content sequencing
Awareness
Consideration
Conversion
What content ?
CONTENT FOR PARENTS FACING A
PARTICULAR PROBLEM
Childhood asthma
Crisis management, daily life, fulfilled
child, peaceful parents
PUSHING NEW CONTENT TO THE
MOST RECEPTIVE AUDIENCE
Large audience with a
focus on parents
Search Ads on parents’ questions
Retargeting on first engagement
Retargeting on engaged
website users
GENERIC CONTENT
Who to target?
Where ?

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For example, it will help improve the ranking of
the pages that underperform in the engines.
Our in-house tools enable us to prioritize the
keywords/themes to focus on in paid media
and SEO according to costs and positions.
Media
SEO
Paid search will also help push
content based on SEO insights

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What’s next ?
Continuously reporting the relevant data
and improving the performance of our platform.
Media
UX
Social Listening
SEO
Design
UX
Media
Contact us and have a chat with our experts,
for all your digital project inquiries.

105. Part of Datawords Group
www.vanksen.com