Digene Consumer Ad Wins Industry Award for Best Product Launch
Wednesday, 23 November 2005
Digene Corporation announced that its campaign to educate women about HPV testing for cervical cancer prevention has been named by Medical Marketing & Media as "Best Product Launch Advertisement" for the consumer press. The Digene(R) HPV Test, also known as the DNAwithPap(R) Test, is the only FDA- approved test for high-risk types of the human papillomavirus (HPV), which cause virtually all cases of cervical cancer. The test is approved for use along with the Pap test to screen women age 30 and older, the group most at risk of developing cervical cancer.
A panel of 40 judges reviewed approximately 60 entries for this year's Medical Marketing & Media awards. The awards in the creative category, which included "Best Product Launch Advertisement," recognized ads that were considered "different, relevant and clear, ads that work, ads that use the medium to its full potential."
Digene's direct-to-consumer advertising campaign, which was first launched in March of 2005, is designed to educate women about the link between high-risk types of HPV and cervical cancer, and about the availability of a test for the virus. The campaign includes a print ad that has appeared in nine national magazines and a 30-second TV ad that has aired in five metropolitan areas to date. The ad campaign was created by Gotham Inc., headquartered in New York City.
"We know from our own data that our ads have been very successful in motivating women to ask their doctors about the HPV test," said Evan Jones, Digene's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "However, it is very gratifying for a major publication in the healthcare industry to recognize the creativity of our campaign and Digene's leadership in consumer education."