Educating primary care physicians on evolving cardiometabolic risk is an ongoing challenge, particularly as evidence expands and treatment expectations shift across regions. As the clinical understanding of cardiovascular and kidney complications in CRM patients continues to advance, PCPs are expected to synthesize new data while managing increasing patient complexity with limited time.
For one global medical affairs team, the objective was clear: strengthen PCP understanding of cardiovascular and kidney risk while reinforcing the clinical role of SGLT2 inhibitors through an unbranded, education-first program. The goal was not promotion, but meaningful education delivered in a way that aligned with how PCPs prefer to learn and engage.
With expanded country approvals underway and audiences spanning the United States, Germany, and Japan, the challenge extended beyond awareness alone. The team needed a solution that could deliver consistent, clinically relevant education across markets, while sustaining engagement and relevance over time.
Building an education strategy designed to scale across markets
Rather than approaching education as a single-touch initiative, the team partnered with Sermo to execute a four-month, multi-market campaign built for continuity and adaptability. Ads ran simultaneously across all three markets, ensuring consistency in core clinical messaging, while creative was deployed in two-month waves to allow education to build progressively.
This wave-based structure enabled the program to evolve based on performance insights—reinforcing messages that resonated and optimizing sequencing over time rather than relying on a single exposure to drive understanding.
The program focused on two core engagement tactics:
- Posts with video, delivering concise, expert-led clinical education
- Dedicated emails, reinforcing key messages and extending reach
This coordinated approach ensured that PCPs encountered aligned educational content across formats—while allowing flexibility in how messages resonated within each regional context.
Driving engagement through video-first learning and reinforcement
Video posts served as the foundation of the program, aligning with EPG research showing that HCPs prefer short, bite-sized content, particularly videos under five minutes (57%) and concise, fast-fact text (63%).
Leveraging this insight, the program delivered short, data-driven videos designed to support identification of at-risk patients and prompt appropriate action to reduce cardiovascular and kidney complications. Built to be easy to consume and clinically focused, these videos addressed real-world considerations relevant to PCP practice.
To sustain engagement over time, content was deployed across three strategic waves, each with a distinct focus:
Wave 1 highlighted KOLs to introduce core concepts and drive initial engagement.
Wave 2 focused on considerations for PCPs, including identification of at-risk patients and management of adverse events.
Wave 3 reintroduced KOL-led content to reinforce key messages and sustain engagement.
Dedicated emails complemented video posts by reinforcing core concepts and driving additional traffic to on-platform content, maximizing awareness and extending reach. Rather than introducing entirely new ideas, emails anchored key takeaways—supporting repetition without redundancy and encouraging continued engagement across waves.
Together, these formats created multiple entry points for learning, enabling physicians to engage at their own pace while maintaining a cohesive educational narrative over time.
Across the four-month flight, the campaign delivered strong results across both channels, consistently exceeding established benchmarks and sustaining engagement throughout successive waves.
Key performance outcomes included:
Demonstrating influence on physician interest and consideration
Beyond strong engagement, the program demonstrated meaningful impact on physician mindset and intent. 7 out of 10 physicians reported that clinical trial and real-world data featured in the program had a positive or very positive influence on their perception of the promoted drug class.
Additionally, 8 out of 10 were likely to seek more information on related treatments, and three-quarters reported being more likely to consider treating patients with the drug class.
These findings underscore the value of a wave-based approach, where educational impact builds over time. By combining expert-led content, practical clinical considerations, and data-driven messaging, the program reinforced key concepts and encouraged deeper engagement.
Supported by video-led education and email reinforcement, this approach moved beyond awareness to drive meaningful shifts in perception, interest, and clinical consideration.
Turning insights into action
For teams navigating expanded approvals and global education needs, the takeaway is clear: when education is delivered through coordinated, multi-wave engagement, it can sustain interest, reinforce evidence, and support meaningful shifts in physician understanding over time.
Planning a multi-market education initiative or preparing for expanded approvals? Sermo helps medical affairs teams deliver scalable, insight-driven education tailored to how PCPs engage today.
Contact us at business@sermo.com to learn more.
