Let's put Gaucher on the Map
Raising awareness and education for a rare genetic disease that is often misdiagnosed.
About Gaucher’s disease
Gaucher disease is a rare, genetic disorder that affects approximately 1 in 60,000 people in the US. October is Gaucher awareness month and Genzyme, a treatment provider, asked Division Of/ to execute a digital campaign to raise awareness for the disease.
Engaging visitors
Our objective was to create a website that showed solidarity among supporters and demonstrated to patients that they are not alone in battling this life threatening illness. “Let’s put Gaucher on the map” became the rally call of the campaign. The website reflected this theme by presenting a map and asking users to pin messages of support to their state. We borrowed a method from game interaction design by showing users the outcome of their action first – the map with supportive messages – and then leading them to a form where they could take action and publish their own content. Every element was designed to guide them on this path and increase the probability of conversion.
Spreading the word and raising awareness
Social media was the best channel to spread the word about Gaucher disease. The key to making social sharing work is to give users content that they are proud to distribute to their network of friends and followers. With this in mind, we created content cards that mimicked the text and image layouts of popular internet memes. With over 50 images ranging from comic to serious, there was something for everyone to feel good about sharing. After publishing messages of support on the map, users were directed to the gallery of content and prompted to choose an item to share. The experience kept them engaged and made sharing a natural extension of visiting the site.
Knowledge is Power
In the end, the website provided much needed awareness and education for this often misdiagnosed illness. A supporter from Connecticut summed it up best, “The effects of Gaucher’s disease can be painful, and every effort to increase awareness, and ways to manage the disease will aid many who may not even know the cause of their affliction.”
Support from every state
At the close of Gaucher awareness month, our conversion rates were impressive: 18.3% of unique visitors published a message and 16% of visitors shared on social media. As a result of the extensive network effects, individuals from over 40 countries visited the site and supportive messages came in from every state. In the end, the website provided much needed awareness and education for this often misdiagnosed illness.
Raising the awareness of an often overlooked rare disease requires an innovative approach.
Division Of/ took a simple idea and breathed life into it by delivering a uniquely clever and eye-catching website that was educational, engaging, and on-strategy – all while working under a tight deadline.
