MS/NMO Team
Genentech
Agency Partners: Intouch Group, Heartbeat, VMLY&R, CMI
Genentech Team:
Elizabeth Roth, Marketing Team Director
Ian Ross, Senior Marketing Manager
Santiago Vallinas, Senior Marketing Manager
Minna Zhang, Marketing Manager
Jodie Peake, Competitive Intelligence Group Lead
Lesley Cerdan, Senior Marketing Manager
Sandy Scaife, Senior Marketing Manager
Linda Konkoski, Senior Marketing Manager
Julia Griffiths, Marketing Team Director
Kimberly Ng, Digital Engagement Lead
Melissa Nelli, Web & Mobile Delivery Manager
Joe Krebs, RM Delivery Manager
Tatiana Costello, Media/Social Delivery Manager
Photo above: top row, left to right: Elizabeth Roth, Ian Ross, Jodie Peake, Joe Krebs, and Julia Griffiths. Second row: Kimberly Ng, Lesley Cerdan, Linda Konkoski, Minna Zhang, and Sandy Scaife. Bottom row: Tatiana Costello.
Serving the MS Community in a Virtual World
It’s not every day you will find a team this dedicated to collaboration. That puts the building of a team on equal footing with the task at hand. But when you do, you know you’ve come across something special—and the outcomes reflect those efforts. The MS/NMO OCREVUS marketing team at Genentech exhibits this spark, and they’re using it to drive their product into market leadership.
The OCREVUS team rallied around a single, lofty goal—making the treatment accessible for as many people living with multiple sclerosis (MS) as possible. Working together, they were able to do just that, with OCREVUS achieving the #1 spot in total patient share (TPS).
When COVID-19 hit and MS patients became concerned, the team rushed to update the patient and HCP websites with information as it became available. Direct-to-consumer advertising paused to respect patients’ feelings of uncertainty. HCPs received the latest information to reassure patients, with updates sent as knowledge grew.
This was the beginning of their efforts to optimize everything for digital delivery, knowing the internet and virtual communications would take the place of in-person meetings for the foreseeable future. By connecting with HCPs and patients, the team was able to monitor changing needs to ensure the brand was supporting both customers in the best possible ways.
The team coalesced around a previously planned label update for approval of an infusion protocol that would cut a patient’s time at the center by up to two hours, decreasing the length of time patients need to be away from home. This shorter infusion was one of three label updates handled virtually with the related development and timely dissemination of new messaging.
Even though they were physically apart, the team remained close and supportive, meeting weekly to touch base. This allowed team members to remain aware of what was on everyone’s plate, so that responsibilities and workload can be more equitably distributed. A priority was placed on alignment, with team members checking in to clarify or reach consensus before moving forward. These small steps toward team cohesion played a big role in delivering for HCPs and their patients.
