Explore the human side of the health journey in AbbVie’s I Am campaign

Having a disease that requires treatment can make some patients feel like those medical conditions define them.

This is especially true when the medical establishment perceives them first by their disease rather than their humanity.

AbbVie is trying to put humanity first in its recently-launched I Am campaign, which celebrates the unique identities of those living with health conditions. 

Real patients Mike, Devan, Rhonda, Wendy, Robin, Tenia and Joe want people to know that their diseases do not define them.

“The I Am campaign was really inspired by this notion that every person deserves to be seen and valued beyond their medical condition, beyond their disease,” says Matt Tritley, VP of corporate marketing for AbbVie.

This new campaign builds on AbbVie’s People, Passion, Possibilities initiative, which highlights the company’s scientific breakthroughs and how they impact patients. 

This campaign was achieved in partnership with agency Prophet.

A combination of digital, social and out-of-home ads populate the new campaign, featuring one or various combinations of those patients represented. 

They state their names and their various roles in life — like ‘father’ for Joe, a ‘ballroom dancer’ for Rhonda or a ‘trendsetter’ for Tenia. 

Still, they list their conditions as well, saying that they want to be seen for themselves and not their afflictions. Take for example Mike, who says that he’s defined as a tailgater, not by his Crohn’s Disease.

“When we started talking to patients and hearing their stories, we wanted to have an emotive connection. These campaigns share very touching and inspiring stories that are from real patients,” says Tritley. 

The out-of-home ads will be targeted in key employer markets — including Chicago, San Francisco and Boston. 

The digital ads will run on AbbVie’s social media channels, including YouTube, which drives people to the website to learn more about patient stories.

The patients featured in the I Am campaign live with a range of conditions across oncology, neuroscience and immunology.

He states that the patients had a passion for sharing their stories because they embraced the concept of not wanting to be identified just by their conditions. 

The pharma giant found these participants by reaching out to patients that had particular medical conditions – all who consented to sharing their stories.

The company also features several of its employees in the ads, including a pair of AbbVie scientists.

Tritley says AbbVie takes pride in its focus on patients and sought the opportunity to showcase how its mission has a meaningful impact on developing solutions and treatments. 

“It’s exciting, because we feel like it’s inspirational — not just to our company but to the audiences we’re trying to reach,” he says.

Tritley hopes that by focusing on the person beyond the condition, I Am will highlight the company’s development of life-changing solutions and reinforce the purpose behind the work to its sizable workforce.

“For patients, these campaigns offer reassurance that they’re not alone,” Tritley says. “We want to empower them to have more important conversations with their healthcare providers about options for improving their health and quality of life, show that we’re a partner and are committed to improving the standards of care.”