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DIGITAL STRATEGY WEBSITE CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT BRIEF

KEY PERSONNEL: JAZ OVENDEN, NATIONAL MARKETING MANAGER, ALK CANADA ANDREW DESBARATS, GENERAL MANAGER, ALK CANADA DANIEL CÔTÉ, NATIONAL SALES MANAGER DAVID COUGHLAN, PRESIDENT, ICI MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS BRIEF COMPILED BY ICI MEDICAL COMMUNICATIONS (DAVID COUGHLAN, FAUCY BRAND, RACHEL MCNEELY)

ALK CANADA ALK Canada is a subsidiary of ALK a research-driven, global pharmaceutical company focusing on allergy prevention, diagnosis and treatment. ALK has been at the forefront of allergy treatment for almost a century and is the foremost innovator in allergy immunotherapy. ALK Canada’s vision is to grow the Canadian AIT market and establish SLIT-Tablets as efficacious treatment options for dissatisfied patients on conventional therapy. Their stated goal is to establish SLIT-Tablets as an evidence-based AIT treatment that results in an improved quality of life. To achieve these stated goals ALK has invested in a sales team that visits allergists, ENTs and Respirologists (and some general or family practice physicians via a third party company) to convey the key selling messages that support the use of SLIT-Tablets in the appropriate patients. However, many patients fall through the cracks for the reasons stated above (physician indifference, delay in referral, lack of awareness of AIT options and benefits). While sales representatives are able to work with physicians to identify and prioritize which patients might need a referral to an allergist, this does not address the issue that there is a large number of patients who do not discuss their allergies with their physician and are therefore unaware of the treatments that could help relieve symptoms, reduce medication burden (burden is defined by the number of medications a person with allergies is taking to reduce their symptoms) and improve quality of life by targeting the root cause of their disease, the immune system

PROJECT DESCRIPTION Build a website that will inform and educate persons suffering from allergies, in Canada, about allergy immunotherapy and to seek out treatment via an allergist when appropriate

WEBSITE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES Allergy.ca

From the perspective of ALK, this website will serve to increase awareness of AIT and SLIT-Tablets through education about AIT, the fact that AIT even exists and the benefits of AIT. While the website will educate on both forms of AIT, more emphasis is to be placed on SLIT-Tablets. For the launch of allergy.ca, ALK will focus on two main goals: 1. Empower patients to seek allergy immunotherapy treatment (AIT) 2. Mobilize empowered patients to seek access to AIT Empower Patients To meet this objective, four key questions/topics have been identified as areas of focus: 1. Increase awareness of AIT as a treatment option for patients dissatisfied with their current treatments 2. Make patients aware of the differences between SCIT and SLIT-Tablets 3. Ensure patient understand the benefits, and the risks, of AIT 4. Help determine if they are a candidate for AIT 5. Educate on how to access AIT and SLIT-Tablets in Canada Mobilize Patients To meet this objective, three key questions/topics have been identified: 1. Encourage patients to ask for a referral to an allergist and more importantly, an allergist who prescribes SLIT-Tablets 2. Educate on how to ask for this referral along with understanding the process 3. Enable patients to take this important step in addressing their persistent symptoms

Summary For patients who continue to suffer from uncontrolled symptoms associated with allergic Rhinitis, awareness and understanding of Allergy Immunotherapy (AIT), and more specifically Sublingual Immunotherapy Tablets (SLIT-Tablets) is suboptimal. ALK Canada intends to invest in the development of the website allergy.ca to increase awareness of AIT, SLIT-Tablets and which patients may be appropriate candidates for AIT. This brief will outline the key components that have been identified and that should be used in the development of allergy.ca TARGET AUDIENCE/FOCUS Persons Suffering from Allergies who may be candidates for Allergy Immunotherapy Allergies are a common condition for many Canadians for which the most common presentation is allergic rhinitis (AR). Signs and symptoms include a runny, or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy and watery eyes or swelling around the eyes. Market research has shown that many patients who suffer with allergies fall into the category of “silent sufferers”. A “ silent sufferer ” can be defined as someone who has allergies and either seeks out over the counter (OTC) meds such as antihistamines or who do not seek out treatment and choose to “put up” with their symptoms, particularly for those who suffer from seasonal allergies (grass, ragweed and tree for example). This may be due to lack of awareness of treatment options (, INCS, AIT), the perception that their family physician cannot help them, or the perception of patients that their condition does not warrant a visit to their physician ( my condition is not “worthy” of medical attention ). Given the above, it is not surprising that persistent relief of allergic rhinitis remains a major unmet need in Canada. Traditional treatments such as antihistamines and intranasal corticosteroids (INCS) do not always work. INCS is the most common prescription for AR yet as many as 50% of patients feel that INCS loses effectiveness within the first 24 hours and as many as 60% feel their symptoms are poorly controlled during their worst month of the year, leaving patients feeling dissatisfied. (Paul Keith et al, 2012, Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology). When symptoms are poorly controlled, these dissatisfied patients may seek alternative treatment options usually through referral to a specialist physician. The vast majority of these referrals are to Allergists, though some referrals end up going to ENT’s (Ear, Nose and Throat) or Respirologists. However, many patients are not given this option either because their physician does not feel like AR is a significant issue(physician indifference) that needs to be addressed, or because patients fail to ask their physician for a referral to an allergist to discuss other options.

In addition, the first line treatment (AH and INCS) is simply masking symptoms. Disease modifying alternatives are available but awareness of the simplicity and options are low.

The biggest impact felt by patients suffering from uncontrolled AR is on quality of life (loss of sleep, productivity, feeling lousy etc).

Allergy Immunotherapy Allergy Immunotherapy (AIT) can be an effective treatment for patients whose allergies remain uncontrolled despite avoidance techniques and traditional pharmacotherapy. AIT treats the underlying cause of allergy and gives long-lasting improvement by reprogramming the immune system to better tolerate specific allergens (the cause of a person’s allergies) Patient awareness of AIT is low and many patients tend to think of AIT as allergy “shots” that are primarily used to treat severe allergies to insect stings. Added to the lack of awareness, access to Allergy Immunotherapy is limited. Most AIT is provided as a subcutaneous injection (SCIT, or allergy shots administered with a needle), the majority of which is provided by an Allergist, however some general or family practice physicians also offer allergy shots. SCIT has historically been a ‘last-resort’ therapy because of the inconvenience, the pain, the slow-build up to a treatment effect and the risk of systemic reaction. SCIT also lacks standardized dosing as the dosage and shot schedule differed from allergist to allergist. SCIT allows a patient to be desensitized to multiple allergies in one shot. Sublingual Immunotherapy (SLIT) is a form of AIT administered orally in the form of a tablet and used to treat allergies for Grass, Ragweed, House Dust Mite and Trees. Currently, patients who are candidates for SLIT tablets must be referred to an Allergist to determine if they are a candidate for SLIT. SLIT offers advantages over SCIT in terms of better convenience, no pain, faster time-to-treatment effect, and lower risk of systemic reaction. The evidence backing SLIT is also much stronger given that there is a standardized dose with clinically and statistically significant efficacy based on RDBPC clinical studies. Focus on the Patient (Allergy Silent Sufferer) To address the issue of awareness among patients suffering from AR and to help mobilize these patients to seek out AIT, and more specifically treatment with SLIT-Tablets, ALK is investing in the development of a digital strategy devoted to education and awareness of AIT in Canada. The main component of this strategy is a website. This website is to be unbranded (as per Canadian regulations on direct to consumer advertising) and published under the url allergy.ca Along with the website, ALK will use social media channels to increase the reach of their digital efforts using Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Patient Journey One of the stated goals of ALK is to have AIT initiated earlier in the patient journey. At present, AIT is the last step. Patients often arrive at the allergist after years of trying over the counter meds or prescription nasal steroids (INCS) that do not provide adequate relief.

Target Audience As stated, the target audience for allergy.ca is patients in Canada who suffer from allergic rhinitis who are dissatisfied with conventional treatment because they continue to experience inadequate control on traditional treatments and who therefore continue to suffer from the symptoms associated with allergic rhinitis. Inadequate control is measured by breakthrough symptoms for patients who are taking traditional pharmacotherapy for their allergies (over the counter antihistamines, Intranasal Corticosteroids, Eye Drops, OTC Sprays/decongestants, holistic remedies, SCIT or SLIT drops)

Personas For the launch of allergy.ca, ALK will focus on two primary personas: 1. The dissatisfied allergy silent sufferer 2. Patient care givers

Persona 1: The dissatisfied allergy silent sufferer. Patient with allergies on current treatment who experience breakthrough symptoms

- Adults age 18-50 living in Canada - Married or single - Employed - Income: $40 000/year and up - Enjoy outdoor activities - Suffer from lack of sleep/stress

- May not seek alternative forms of treatment through their physician - Busy, due to full time work and other activities through the week?

Persona 2: Patient Care givers of pediatric patients (ages 5-18) who are experiencing breakthrough symptoms despite treatment (antihistamine, INCS)

- Adults age 30-45, mostly female - Parent, care giver - Prefer to avoid SCIT (needles) as a treatment - Busy (need a convenient option) - Want better for their kids - Hate steroids (INCS) - Some may have a preference for a “natural” solution

BRANDING ALK manufactures and sells Sublingual Immunotherapy Tablets (SLIT-Tablets) for the treatment of grass, ragweed and house dust mite allergens. These tablets are marketed in Canada as: GRASTEK, RAGWITEK AND ACARIZAX. A submission has also been filed for a tree tablet (brand name unknown). Allergy.ca will be an unbranded website and should be completely distinct from any of these brands. ALK has a sister brand - klarify.me and an allergy app ‘klara’ that delivers pollen counts. These may be useful in developing the brand for allergy.ca ALK is currently involved in a number of direct to consumer campaigns. Our recommendation is that the design of the website be consistent with existing campaigns (as long as these campaigns are unbranded). For allergy.ca is central to developing a consistent experience for the customer that will lead to strong brand equity over the long term.

If existing campaigns do not match the goals and objectives of the website, new branding should be considered and future content can be aligned to this brand.

Tone/voice The focus of allergy.ca will be on education and information. ALK wants to empower patients to take action to resolve their uncontrolled symptoms by asking for a referral to an allergist and asking the allergist for AIT. To accomplish this, ALK wants their audience to understand the following:

- What allergy immunotherapy is - The different forms of allergy immunotherapy (AIT) - The differences between Subcutaneous (SCIT) and Sublingual (SLIT) - How current treatments work and their relative efficacy - How AIT is prescribed and administered in Canada - How and why patients will want to ask for a referral to an Allergist

The science, and therefore the validity, that supports AIT for these patients is important, however the tone should be less scientific and more empathetic. The appeal should be that patients may not have to suffer breakthrough symptoms, that their condition may not be life threatening, but it can be life changing, and that they may not need to continue taking pharmacotherapy over the long-term

Integrated social media One of the early challenges with websites is growing their audience. To help attract more visitors and grow their audience, social media channels will need to be integrated into the website and the marketing strategy that goes with it.Based on the target market and additional research, we recommend that ALK develop strategies for the following social media channels:

- Facebook - Instagram - Twitter - Youtube

These social media channels need to be designed consistent with the branding of the website and visible on all key pages of the website and should also be present on all content that is appropriate, and approved, for sharing on these channels by customers. Content ALK is in the process of listing all of the current content they have available for the website. A review of this content will be useful in the design of the website and is available from Jaz Ovenden at ALK or Dave Coughan at ICI Medical. The majority of the content will come in the form of written articles. However, video (mp4 and other formats) will also be used frequently on the site. Consideration should be given to a community forum where patients can engage in conversation about their allergies and what they are doing to improve their symptoms. Frequency of new content has not been established, though it is likely that once the initial site has been launched, new content will be made available at least monthly in the first year.

Key factors to consider for content: - Quality of content - Valid source

- Relevant, targeted information - Easily digestible

- Format - Multiple formats should be used including written and video based content - Images - Images should be carefully curated and selected to match the content, the audience while also reflecting the brand

Competitors The primary competitor for ALK is Stallergenes Greer who make Oralair (http://www. oralair.com/) and NovartisGenentech who make Xolair (https://www.xolair.com/) and the INCS and antihistamine providers Timeline ALK will be attending the CSACI National meeting in Montreal from October 23 to 27. This would be an ideal time to have the website live (even if further pages of the site are to be pushed live after this date). Criteria for Success The initial goal of this website is to build an audience that will return to the website on a regular basis for information related to allergy immunotherapy. In the first year, criteria for success are as follows:

- Total number of visitors to the website - Growth rate for visitors - Impressions, Reach, Acquisition and Conversion - CTA (Call to Action) clicks

Other criteria may be identified during the website development phase.