May 2007, Volume 4 Issue 2

New ad campaign puts a face on clinical research

Are you an “Everyday Hero?” Do you know someone who is?

Chances are, if you or someone you know has volunteered for a clinical trial, you are the kind of person we mean. Yet, for much of the lay public, there is little awareness or appreciation of the contributions made by the people who participate in clinical research.

That’s about to change. A groundbreaking public education advertising campaign developed by CISCRP with an unrestricted educational grant from Eli Lilly and pro bono collaborative support from Fast4wD Ogilvy, a division of the international advertising and marketing agency Ogilvy & Mather, will be launched in 2007 to heighten awareness of clinical research and the participants who make it happen.

Consisting of a series of public service announcements (PSA’s) that focus on ordinary individuals who participate in medical research, the campaign will run in major national print and online media, and on billboards, bus backs and bus shelters in Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, Boston and elsewhere. A series of radio ads also is being developed to complement the print campaign.

The need to polish the public’s perception of clinical research is clear. Public sentiment toward the clinical research enterprise is at an all time low, with 14 percent of Americans ranking pharmaceutical companies on a par with the tobacco and used car industries. The new CISCRP PSA’s intend to improve that image by focusing on the “Everyday Heroes” of clinical research. Spotlighting the “heroic” contributions of ordinary people will be a first step towards transforming the way Americans think about clinical research today.

The public is invited to find out more about the clinical research process by checking the CISCRP website at www.ciscrp.org or by phoning 1-877-MED HERO.

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