Sanofi undertook to promote screenings for type 1 diabetes to help the afflicted prevent the condition from worsening into the most dangerous stage 3.
Roughly 1.45 million people live with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and for the last 100 years, people have been treating it the same way — by waiting for symptom onset and then beginning a life of daily insulin. But now, there is a groundbreaking treatment from Sanofi that can delay insulin-dependent T1D (stage 3 T1D), giving people more time free from the challenges of insulin-management.
However, to take advantage of this advancement, people need to spot T1D early, before stage 3 and insulin dependence. While early screening could help them spot it in advance, most people are unaware of this option.
Sanofi's goal was to change the way people think about and manage type 1 diabetes in America. The company needed to educate people about the importance of early screenings, create a sense of urgency to screen, encourage people to take action, and empower them with the tools to do so.
The "1 Pledge" movement is the cornerstone launch initiative of Sanofi's "Screen for Type 1" campaign that set out to reposition T1D from a disease that strikes without warning to a disease that can be spotted early. The company's objective was to educate Americans on the risk of T1D and the different stages of the disease, as well as to drive early screening through an integrated, multi-agency, digital, experiential, and earned media effort. Sanofi needed to be bold and disruptive, yet communicate in a way that was authentic, human, and believable.
The campaign focused on the two target audience segments most likely to benefit from T1D screening:
Sanofi's audience segments severely downplayed their or their children's risk levels, which made them less likely to consider screening messaging alone. Sanofi had to make the T1D risk feel relevant and urgent to people who weren't paying attention.
Additionally, Sanofi's movement needed to expand beyond the members of the T1D community. This recognition drove the company to take an expanded view of its audience: a target that essentially encompassed a proactive general population, spanning ages eight to 50.
Sanofi's campaign spread across targeted placements, where health was top of mind, and used powerful imagery and personal stories to catch audiences' attention where it wasn't. The company's audience-specific campaign spots made risk and screening feel relatable and urgent. The call-to-action, "Screen It Like You Mean It," blanketed all of the effort's touchpoints and guided audience members to the Sanofi website. Throughout Diabetes Awareness Month, Sanofi blasted "Take the 1 Pledge" messaging to launch the campaign with a bang.
To empower the public, drive home the risks of T1D, and encourage people to take action and get tested, Sanofi created a bold campaign to get people to rethink T1D.
A powerful movement starts with powerful voices — so Sanofi and its agency partners Havas Media Network, Ruder Finn, and Patients & Purpose created the 1 Pledge. This initiative urged families to "pledge" to take action and screen for T1D. Celebrities and influencers supported the Screen It Like You Mean It message by sharing how screening could have changed their lives. USHER, Robin Arzón, and Adam Schefter kickstarted organic and paid influencer campaigns across TikTok, Instagram, Meta, and X.
To kick off National Diabetes Awareness Month, The 1 Pledge took over Times Square with an event that included panel discussions, testimonial booths, a dance routine, and more. The event was live-streamed in the first-ever pharmaceutical event promoted via the YouTube Masthead.
The focus on digital media was strategic, reflecting the audience's online behavior and the campaign's innovative spirit. Sanofi allocated a significant share of its budget to mobile and digital platforms, recognizing their effectiveness in reaching and engaging the target demographic. The overall budget was carefully planned to maximize impact on increased screenings, with digital media as a key driver of campaign success.
The campaign integrated enabling technology through digital platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Meta — platforms on which influencers shared personal stories. This sophisticated use of media created a relatable and urgent message.
Sanofi broke through the noise with an integrated campaign during National Diabetes Awareness Month with the highest earned media share of voice within the general diabetes conversation at 37 percent and 52 percent share of voice for T1D specifically. Moreover, Sanofi saw a 300 percent month-over-month increase in searches for "type 1 diabetes screening."
Furthermore, Sanofi's campaign:
Finally, as a result of the campaign, Sanofi achieved:
