Bringing Marketing to a New Audience: Q&A with Jeremy Truxal

Jeremy Truxal
Vice president of marketing
Exact Sciences

On September 16, Exact Sciences launched its first Spanish language TV and social media marketing campaign for Cologuard, an at-home colon cancer screening test. Jeremy Truxal, vice president of marketing at Exact Sciences, spoke with Pharmaceutical Executive about the campaign and the importance of reaching new communities.

Pharmaceutical Executive: What was the inspiration for this campaign? And why was it important to target Hispanics with this campaign?
Jeremy Truxal: As a global leader in cancer testing, we have an obligation to reach broader audiences and serve our customers’ unmet needs. We identified an urgent need to screen for colorectal cancer (CRC) within the Hispanic community, which was the impetus for this campaign.As of today, less than half of eligible Hispanic adults undergo recommended screening, but CRC is treatable in 90% of people if caught early. The need for screening is urgent within this community and as a brand, we must do everything in our power to effect change.

Hispanics are the fastest-growing demographic in the US, representing almost 20% of the total U.S. population and colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second-leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic men and the third-leading cause of cancer death among Hispanic women. In order to effect meaningful change, our campaign needed to be as culturally relevant as possible.

Family is the heartbeat of the Hispanic community–and we know that conversations about health become a priority when viewed through the lens of how it could impact family. The campaign is intentionally emotional and family-centric, drawing on the importance of staying healthy for your loved ones so you can make memories together in the future.

Our consumer research also uncovered the insight that these consumers prefer a more private, discreet, at home screening option which Cologuard provides.

PE: What impact do you hope the campaign will have?
Truxal: We hope that our campaign drives impact in two areas. First, we want to educate the Hispanic community on CRC and show why screening for CRC starting at the recommended age of 45 is important and an urgent matter. Current data notes that less than half of eligible Hispanic adults undergo recommended screening, but CRC is treatable in 90% of people if caught early.

Next, we want to increase awareness of Cologuard® as an effective and affordable non-invasive screening test that can be done in the privacy of one’s own home. In time, we hope this campaign spurs an increase in CRC screening within the Hispanic population.

PE: How will this impact your approaches to future campaigns?
Truxal: The decision to screen for cancer, including CRC, is personal and isn’t a “one-size-fits-all" approach. It was critical for Cologuard to meet this specific customer segment exactly where they are–through the appropriate mix of channels, via our content themes and upcoming partnerships.

As we look to the future, we are committed to continue approaching our marketing and communication efforts through this lens. Only by understanding our audience, meeting them where they are and thinking through cultural nuances that help us engage, we will achieve our goal of building awareness of the importance of early screening for CRC and reach our customers’ evolving needs.

As an organization we are excited about this new Spanish language campaign that reached all areas of our company, and it helps us achieve our mission of eradicating cancer by preventing and detecting it.