What’s the real story behind pain?

The Challenge

Chronic pain and opioid usage are complex, stigmatized, and misunderstood areas of healthcare. So when a global pharmaceutical company was preparing to launch a new Opioid Induced Constipation (OIC) treatment, they came to Now What with a sensitive question:

How can we unearth the deep truths and unmet needs people face on their chronic pain journey and encourage more honest conversations between patients and doctors?

The Approach

Tackling a taboo topic calls for a human-centric approach, so our primary goal was to build empathy and understanding for people suffering from OIC. In order to get us closer to the issue, we conducted a cultural pain immersion, hosted an online journaling patient community, led in-home ethnographies, and interviewed caregivers for their POV.

But it was our most unconventional approach that allowed us to start the most honest conversation – asking people to film themselves at the moment of truth, in the bathroom when they're struggling and at their most vulnerable.

In challenging ourselves to ask better questions and find new ways to connect, we were able to move beyond the same old clinical answers and get to a level of insight our clients had never seen before.

The Now What?

While OIC is a serious issue for many people, for those with chronic pain it’s never a main focus, but rather just one of the many challenges they face in managing their conditions. Instead of seeing this as a constraint, we reframed the issue and positioned OIC as an easily treatable symptom to nip in the bud so they can focus their energy on bigger pain issues.

We used what we found to rethink the brand’s lexicon and reshape the conversation with patients and healthcare providers. And ultimately, our research impacted every aspect of their launch marketing.