2017, MM&M Gold Award
2016, The Rx Club Gold Award
When you think of Parkinson’s disease, you think of movement disorder, but half of patients also develop psychotic symptoms. Awareness of this comorbid condition was minimal and many doctors who knew about the issue didn’t believe that is was a problem.
Through an unbranded effort, we were tasked to increase awareness and perceived severity of Parkinson’s disease psychosis (PDP).
In order to change perception, we needed physicians to have more than an intellectual understanding of the disease and its prevalence. Through the virtual reality capability of Oculus Rift, we viscerally brought the experiences of PDP to life, allowing doctors to walk in the shoes—and look through the eyes—of their patients.
“This was an original and creative idea with a clear strategy and impactful results,” said one judge.
“The use of VR was integral to the understanding of patients' symptoms,” noted a second judge. “And that tied directly to progress against the campaign goals.”
Adjudicators were impressed by the team's research into reported PDP hallucinations and delusions and its work with a top Parkinson's disease specialist to ensure the VR content was realistic, authentic, and scientifically accurate.