COOLIEF Website www.mycoolief.com (Avanos, AbelsonTaylor)
Over 30 million Americans suffer from osteoarthritis, with the knee being one of the most commonly affected areas. For many patients, surgery is neither a desirable or feasible option at the moment, and many feel trapped in a pain management cycle. They are not ready/eligible for surgery and might be scared about taking opioids, ultimately leaving them frustrated that their current treatment options are only providing short-term relief.
COOLIEF* is the first and only radiofrequency treatment approved by the FDA and is a strong alternative solution when surgery is not currently an option for patients with moderate to severe chronic pain. It’s a minimally invasive, cooled radio-frequency treatment offering long-lasting relief (up to one year) without the use of habit-forming opioid medication.
Still being new to market, there was a lack of brand awareness for COOLIEF*, as well as misunderstanding of differentiating factors from other radiofrequency ablation techniques.
Once patients were aware of COOLIEF*, there was a long lead time between discovering COOLIEF* and receiving the procedure (due to referrals, prior authorizations, and other measures).
In May 2018, AT and AVANOS launched a brand-new DTC campaign for COOLIEF* in six test markets nationwide. The “Visibly Painful” campaign was tasked with increasing brand awareness for COOLIEF*, helping qualified patients find a COOLIEF*-trained specialist nearby, and driving appointments for the COOLIEF* procedure. The campaign was created to accurately portray a patient’s condition by showing an arrow in the knee, highlighting that patients should do something about their pain, and not try to just get by. The campaign demonstrates empathy while at the same time urging patients to find a better solution.
The COOLIEF* website was streamlined to be easy to navigate, answer questions about the procedure and insurance, and help patients easily set up an appointment with a specialist by allowing them to search for a provider and connect directly through the website. The website was also optimized for mobile browsing, since research showed a majority of patients seek information this way.
The COOLIEF* campaign achieved positive results in just four weeks in the market. The media delivered over 34M impressions within the six test markets, which led to 38K visits to the brand website and a 30% conversion rate on the site. This high level of awareness and engagement has led to an increase in “find-a-specialist” calls to the COOLIEF* Call Center, with more than 815 qualified calls in the first month.
