Pfizer’s 'Living With Cancer' wowed Cannes attendees, if not the pharma jury

The one thing we’ve done differently is that we’ve made this pan tumor and tumor agnostic and asked what are the universal truths and experiences that everyone faces? That has really made a difference for us,” Basavaiah said. “It’s a clear testament to Pfizer’s patient first–then energy and the resources behind doing something like this. But also from a customer perspective, it’s very well received that the program we’re offering is for anyone.”

Along with the film, the campaign included digital, social and in-office materials, plus a unique app that—like the film—covers all cancer types. The free LivingWith app lines up tools and resources to help patients manage daily life with cancer. The app is a place to keep notes, store records, log moods and feelings and even ask for help. The patient data stays private with the diarist—Pfizer does not collect data from the app.

So far, the response has been “exciting,” Basavaiah said, with tens of thousands of downloads and positive feedback from patients, healthcare providers and others.

“Today you could probably do all of these things using multiple different tools,” she said of the app. “But this puts it all in one place, and the other insight we keep hearing is it’s just overwhelming amount of information or resources you’re getting.”

The internal financial support for the campaign was different, too; it came from “ring-fenced” funds set aside for patient-first projects. She noted that Pfizer Chief Operating Officer Albert Bourla is the one who first shifted the conversation to patient-first precepts, and that support makes projects like “This is Living With Cancer” possible.

When asked if the campaign might provide a marketing blueprint for other Pfizer projects, Basavaiah said it was built in such a way that it could be used by other therapeutic areas. But even if the campaign isn’t directly copied, Basavaiah hopes that the idea of “living with” a disease, rather than allowing disease to define a person, will spread.