Teva at the American College of Rheumatology

A healthy biosimilars pipeline is a valuable part of Teva’s future, and as Teva increases its involvement in this market, the company’s exhibit program is becoming more sophisticated and focused on the experiential.

At the American College of Rheumatology (ACR), Teva presented its “latest work of art:” SELARSDI®, an FDA-approved interchangeable biosimilar to Stelara®. SIMLANDI® is an FDA-approved interchangeable biosimilar to Humira®. The ACR campaign provided a memorable way of distinguishing Teva’s biosimilars from others in the same category.

The Experience

The theme, “Strikingly Similar,” was brought to life by referencing famous paintings—paintings people would recognize, namely Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa and Gustav Klimt’s Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer, aka The Lady in Gold.

Access, in partnership with agency CDM, brought the campaign message to attendees in a memorable way. Teva’s exhibits were usually in a 10’ x 20’ ft. space, but with two powerhouse biosimilars, the company chose to exhibit in a 20’ x 40’ space. The campaign leverages the interchange designation to reassure prescribers about dosing, efficacy, and safety.

The images of the two paintings were recognizable and ‘close to the real thing.’ The exhibit was designed to look like a museum gallery with two custom showcases. Those showcases featured custom construction with stage uplighting and LED lights illuminating the displays. Crown molding, some of it sprayed with gold, was part of the elegant gallery image. Magnets attached the frames to the walls.

The exhibit also included ‘secret doors’ for the closets; rather than looking like traditional doors, they featured framed art. At specific times, a painter appeared in the exhibit, and attendees could watch him paint.

Finally, since apple cider looks like champagne, Teva served cider in champagne flutes at a custom velvet bar with the same molding as the exhibit walls.

The campaign artwork mimics the original art, just as the biosimilars in the interchange share the chemical structure, mechanism of action, and dosage formulations with the originals.

The Teva reps working in the exhibit had this to say:

“I believe the display was very well received. The gold dress pulled people in to look closer at our booth and products. The transition from original to similar, hence “biosimilar,” resonated with the audience. Our artist did an awesome job painting Mona & Adele. Many people offered to buy the paintings. The cider was a great hit, and Holly did a fantastic job keeping the beverages flowing. Once again, Cider is similar to champagne, which is our entire key theme. Many providers were interested in knowing that a new biosimilar, Selarsdi, was coming. They like new information for their specialty. Overall, I believe this was a hit!”

“Our display was a hit! This is the first time I’ve seen our booth getting so much traffic and attention. It was beautifully made and attendees noticed – they all wanted to get pictures and get more information about us. This was a great way to open conversations to talk about Teva and our products. It was a total success! There is nothing I would change to make it better because it was perfect the way it was. There was a lot of excitement around Selarsdi – most people were curious about when it would be available.”