Theragenics Corporation: Manufacturer/marketer of nuclear medical devices for treating prostate cancer.


It wasn't long ago that surgery was the automatic default treatment for breast cancer. Until patients united in a movement that broadened awareness of viable alternatives. Similarly, Christine Jacobs, CEO of Theragenics, is determined to awaken men diagnosed with prostate cancer to the surgery alternative TheraSeed® radioactive seed implants. Ten years of independent clinical data prove TheraSeed® an effective cure for localized prostate cancer - and far less debilitating than surgery. Still, sales have grown only marginally since the product was introduced in 1986.

In 2000, Jacobs extricated Theragenics from a long-standing marketing agreement with Johnson + Johnson, contracting CI to take its message about TheraSeed® direct to the public. CI's challenge included reaching an extremely broad audience, men 50 and older, on a limited advertising budget. Our solution is twofold: 1) improve the creative being used in national magazine advertising, and 2) develop a local campaign that could be implemented in multiple, select markets.

National magazine ads . . . CI identified the key messages by matching the advantages of the therapy with the major concerns of patients and their influencers as determined via focus groups. Subsequent ads were built around the theme "living proof," featuring active mature adults and addressing quality-of-life issues.

Local market campaign . . . To establish the product with appropriate integrity, CI produced national-quality TV and radio ads; but to keep costs down, bought cable TV in local markets. Buys were initially aggressive - 3-4 weeks in each market, then continued with sufficient frequency to maintain awareness. The advertising is supported by a public relations effort that includes special events and securing coverage from local media.

Website . . . Researching healthcare issues is the most popular use of the web. CI redesigned and rebuilt the TheraSeed® website to provide objective, accurate, succinct information so patients can clearly understand the differences between TheraSeed® and other treatments and use this knowledge to make informed treatment decisions.

Collateral . . . CI rewrote and redesigned the package of patient information materials that Theragenics sends to people who call the company's Prostate Cancer Information Center. The package reiterates the various treatment options discussed over the phone and helps patients and their physicians work through the process of deciding which treatment is best for them.

Success of the program is reflected in the number of calls placed to Theragenics' information center. The new print creative began appearing in national magazines in early fall 2001, and the local advertising launched in Southwest Florida the following spring. By May, call volume had increased dramatically, up more than 250 percent over the same period the previous year.