A recently-founded biotech company had developed an innovative alternative non-invasive test for detecting and monitoring a specific form of cancer. To inform their efforts around brand positioning and go-to-market strategy, they partnered with City Square Associates on several engagements to conduct research among both clinicians and patients.

On the clinician side, City Square Associates conducted surveys and in-depth interviews to gain insight into the marketplace from their perspective: What kinds of conversations do HCPs have with patients around cancer screening? What methods and tests for screening do they rely on most? Who or what do they trust most as a source for guidance on which methods and tests are best for screening? With a more thorough understanding of clinician experiences and preferences, the client was able to develop a series of positioning statements and product descriptions for testing, to see which attributes of the test resonate most with HCPs and would be most effective in prompting a shift in preference from the currently and widely used brand-name screening test to their own test. Now the product is being introduced to the market with a campaign strategy that amplifies its strengths and appeals to what the research revealed clinicians consider to be most important in recommending a specific kind of screening to their patients.

City Square Associates also partnered with the company to carry out survey research with the consumer patient population, with the goal of understanding what the ideal patient journey would look like for a non-invasive at-home colorectal cancer screening test. Here, we set out to gauge general attitudes towards, and experience with, cancer screening, while also testing preferences with the product and testing process, looking especially at the kind of messaging and timing that work best. Among other questions the patient research addressed: What kind of support was needed or valued from the manufacturer of the test? What might be the potential pain points along the way? The result was a product rollout more grounded in the patient experience—and outcome, which, we hope, will result in more people opting for screening and understanding the benefits that come from early detection.