Transforming the Lives of People Living with Diabetes

Due to the inconvenience of routine fingersticks, people with diabetes tend to not monitor their glucose levels as they should, resulting in an increased risk for health complications. The recent FDA approval and launch of the revolutionary FreeStyle Libre (FSL) flash glucose monitoring system allows people living with diabetes in the U.S. – for the first time ever – to replace their traditional monitors and liberate them from routine fingersticks. GCI Health’s goal was to drive broad awareness among consumers around the system’s breakthrough technology and ability to help transform their lives for the better and, ultimately, position Abbott as an innovator and leader in the diabetes field. To drive anticipation and demand, we leveraged the pending FDA approval and news value to setup the FSL story with key media pre-briefings to generate robust, multi-dimensional stories at the time of approval. Taking media efforts beyond top-tier, national, local and trades, we began collaborating with the most well-known, influential diabetes bloggers to participate in a sampling program in the months leading up to market availability. By engaging the community directly and offering exclusive access to the product, we generated authentic reviews of the FSL system, building anticipation for the monitor in retail pharmacies. The widespread media blitz generated momentous FSL approval coverage, blanketing local markets across the U.S., reaching over 927 million people and driving over 200,000 visitors to the FSL website. Analyst predictions put 2018 FSL sales at $170 million, well above the company's forecast range of $50-$100 million. PR was instrumental in driving this effort and contributed to an overwhelming response from media, the Street and the industry, which culminated in a Today Show segment mentioning the FSL as a major breakthrough and Abbott being named 2017 Medtech Company of the Year by Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry.