NYC/SF /NICE
AgencyCredentials
Rare Disease & Epidermolysis Bullosa Experience
Hello!
WelcometoBigArrow Group
As a strategicplanning and communicationsagency,we are distinguished byour focus in rare diseaseand specializedcare. We relyon unique insights that help our clients connectwith&activate their target audiences. Since2004,we have beencommitted to EB– first with patientorganizations, then industry,and now– finding a cure – driven by communication, venture capital,andtechnology.
We apply our ownclinicaland commercial experiences tohelp youinform and educatemore physicians; andtofind,start, and keepmorepeoplewitha rare condition on therapy.
We’re ProudofWhatMakes Us Different
We focuson the intersectionof rare and care. Ourdifferenceis bornfrom21yearsofexperienceinrarediseaseand patientadvocacy. Webring afull-spectrumunderstanding,fromthe sciencetothesolutiontothesoulofhealthcare itself, inorderto improvetheinfrastructureofcareitself.
Care is not just treatment — it's everything around it. Wemobilizephysicians,healthcareteams, systems, andcommunities to improvehowpeoplelivewithraredisease. Thatmeans orchestrating everybrand, communication, andsupportthatmakes everyinteractioncount.Forus, actionisadvocacy practical, purposeful,and personal.
We commit toempathize, innovate, and gofurther, faster. Inraredisease,thechallengesareknown patientidentification, professional education, and trust. What setsusapartisourability to integrateeveryresourcetomovefrominsightto impactquicklyand meaningfully. Asthecategorygrows, sodoes theneed todistill complexityintoclarity. Welead—sopatients canmoveforward.
WeKnowRare
20 years of rare disease experience
HCP, patient, payer comms, brandedandnon-branded
Pre-marketingconditioning andlaunches
Extensive partnership with patientorganizations Newdigital applicationsto find, convertandsupport patients
(Amicus)
(Amicus)
(Amicus)
(Sanofi)
(Amicus)
(Sanofi)
(Sanofi)
(Pre-transplant) Idefirix (Hansa)
(Biomarin)
Infantile SpasmsEpilepsy
(Pyros)
(Amicus)
Nephropathic cystinosis Procysbi(Horizon;Chiesi)
Niemann-Pick Type C In development (Amicus)
(Sanofi)
+ Opfolda(Amicus)
(Biogen)
WeKnowCare
Experience withall forms of healthcaredeliveryand content development
Patient Advocacy
Support alongthe entire patient journey
General and specialized hospitals
Healthtechnology, diagnostics andsocialmedia
Healthcare Delivery Payers Care/ Support
WeKnowAdvocacy
EmpathyFormsOur Foundation for Activating PatientGroups
Werelyon ourownextensive body of ethnographicresearch to truly understandpatient andfamily experiences and address the needs of the rare disease community.
Weunderstand patientadvocates’ influenceon decisionmaking, from drug development to reimbursement to raising awareness.
• Knowledge ofregulatoryrules,limitations andopportunities,in boththe US (FDA) and Europe (EMA), which includes CHMP,HTA, and its scientificcommittees
Ourproven process identifies where we can interveneto encourage patientengagement through tailoredmessaging, tactics, contentand socialmedia.
BigArrow possesses deepexperience with manyadvocacy groups in the US and Europe, including agency-of-record assignments.
OurStrategic ProcessTakesYouFurther. Faster.
01
Process 02
Purpose
Understand &Align
Definethe Opportunities
Build theStrategic Foundation
Activate&Execute
Enable &Transition
03 Deliverables
We become immersedin the science, clinicalprogram, and disease landscape,allwithin the context of your business objectives,milestones, and strategicimperatives.
KickOff
Timeline
Process & Alignment
BrandStatus& Goals
Disease Status
BenchmarkTime-To-
Treatment
Wedefinethe entire opportunity space.
Wedevelopstrategic frameworksthat integrate scientificrigorandmarket insight.
Wedrivehigh-impact execution across audiences and channels.
As readinessaccelerates,we help preparefor what’s next.
MarketResearch
Competitive Audit
MarketAnalogs
Strategic Planning
Positioning
Disease Awareness
PatientJourneys
ClinicianBehaviors
InstitutionalBehaviors
Advocacy Ecosystems
Positioning Narratives &
Value Proposition
MessagingPlatforms
Go-to-MarketStrategies
BrandArchitecture
AudienceInsights
Vision & Mission
Naming& Visual Expression
Disease Information Needs
Branding,CoreCreative, & Design
ScientificContent
HCPEducation
Patient& Caregiver
Communications
Advocacy Partnerships
Stakeholder Engagement
Integrated Campaigns
Launch & ChannelPlanning
Find-Start-Keep-Support
Strategies
Scale-upofInternalTeams
Transition Knowledge,Tools, & Frameworks
EquipmenttoSustain
Leadership
Foundation Built on
ScientificIntegrity and
MarketInsights
Reporting & Analytics
WeOptimizeOnline EngagementtoFind,Start, andKeepPatients
Our teamsoffer omni-digital marketing strategy,activation,and optimization servicestoraisedisease brand awareness and decreasetime to diagnosis.
Our fully-staffed, responsive,and experienceddigitalmedia teamis certified on the latest platforms to help drive online engagement.
WhatClientsSay
“Big Arrow brings a boardroom perspective to marketing and a marketing perspective to the boardroom.”
”Quite simply, the best brand strategists I’ve ever had the good fortune to work with.”
Chief Marketing Officer
Regional Medical Center
“Big Arrow brings experience from many regulated industries, providing insights not typically found in agency partnerships.” VP, Communications Healthcare
“If you seek smart, strategic, creative marketing solutions...Big Arrow Group will deliver.”
SVP, Marketing Regional Hospital System
OurLeadership
MichaelMarino
Founder &President
Michael startedBig Arrow Groupin 2004 to converge the disciplines of strategic planningand communications to identify and activate customer insights faster and more economically. Before Big Arrow, Michael served as Chief Strategy Officer of Manning, Selvage & Lee Worldwide (consulting, crisis, and PR), Managing Director of Masius (digital and B2B), and President of Medicus/DMB&B offices in New York andLondon (healthcare), all part ofthe Publicis Groupe.
He has envisioned and launched new brands for Aetna, Accenture, Bayer, BioMarin, General Motors, Hansa Biopharma, MasterCard, Northeast Utilities, Northwell Health, Philips, P&G, andSanofi. At BigArrow, Michael is responsible for overseeing creative development andstrategic planning. He gained both his clinical andscientific points of view after spending six years as aresearcher andclinician for the New York Jets, Rangers, Knicks, and Joffrey Ballet. He also spent 12 years practicing at Lenox Hill Hospital, Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Northwell Health, and private practice.
He currently lives in France and manages allEurope-based clients.
BillMulligan Senior Partner
Bill’s experience has encompassed all phases of communications, including strategic planningand integrated program development on adomestic as well as global basis. His expertise is uncovering distinct and effective brand and corporate positionings that leadto effective strategic and creative solutions to increase revenue and build customer loyalty.
He startedin the early days of “integrated marketing” and has been a driver with every aspect of the evolving communications landscape, right up to today’s workwith data analytics, AI, and omnichannel communications. Bill held significant roles (from Account Executive to CEO) at Medicus/DMB&B, Warwick Baker O’Neill, J Walter Thompson, Ogilvy Healthcare, andChameleon Group/HCG. His experience is with a broadset of categories, including food, fashion, technology, package goods, OTCs, and pharmaceuticals, across all classes oftrade. Bill has helped build brands with Procter & Gamble, American Express, Unilever, Panasonic, Lexmark, Bausch and Lomb, even Fruit of the Loom. In healthcare, he’s partnered with the Top 20 pharmaceutical companies, including J&J, Pfizer, Bayer, Eli Lilly, and Novartis, across all elements ofthe communications continuum.
AJ Marino ManagingDirector
As Managing Director, AJleads all facets of operations and client relations for the agency. Before joining Big Arrow, AJ managed key agency accounts for the health, sports, and entertainment pillars at BSSP, leading integrated campaigns and driving results for brands such as Blue Shield of California, ESPN, First Hawaiian Bank, FootJoy 2K, and Blizzard Entertainment. His expertise in each department, from strategic planning to production, creative development to data and analytics, provides a unique vision, precision, and result-oriented focus to the agency.
Earlier in his career, AJwas an Emmy Award–winning producer at Good MorningAmerica, where he operated in high-pressure environments and delivered compelling stories to millions of viewers every day. His diverse background provides afoundation for fruitful client relationships andeffective cross-functional leadership.
AJ lives in MillValley, California. In his spare time, you’ll likely find him playing fetch with his dog, named Bird.
EBInsights&Experience
Implicationsregardingthe development ofstrategiccommunications andsolutionsforEpidermolysisBullosa.
Based on8+yearsofbothproprietaryqualitative and quantitative research,workwithproduct development and patient advocacy.
AudienceImplications
TheTargetAudience isInformed
• Ourprimary target is EB parents/caregivers,especially moms asthey typicallyare the ones responsible for and talking about the daily bath & bandaging ritual. Secondary audiencesinclude adult EB patients and treaters, whoare well-aware of anynewcategory development.
• Informationalneeds of patients and parents/caregivers are quitesimilar,thoughit is clear parents takea biggerpicture approach totheimplications of thecondition.
Speak to Them Squarely and Do NotPity Them
• EB families arestrong, capableand self-assured, overcoming obstacleseveryday. It would be a misstep to not honor that sentiment. Treat them withrespect and speak to them honestly.
• Patients and parentsarewithout self-pitybut fullof longing. Theyareoptimistic but not naive.
Follow Their Lead–FindStrengthin Support
• Asking for help is a signofstrength that enables independence,fuelsproblem-solving and creates a sense of progress.
• Leverageaudiencefeedback,input and co-creationto deliverbrand interactions that createrealvalue beyond product messaging.
Further LeveragetheCommunity Mindset
• Explorethe idea of“we.”Explicitly orimplicitly, communicate that we are allinthis together. Provideopportunities to contributewhere possible.
• Alignwith theEB community inlaunching anyproduct. They will be keyallyin raising awareness, building credibility,and spreading the word.
ContentImplications
Capitalizeon Momentum
• EB Research, philanthropy,and social media activities areat all-time highs, further increasing disease awareness. Simultaneously,thenumberoftreatment optionsand potentialFDA-approved treatments ison therise.
Pushing EB Away
• EB families aren’t seeking to be extraordinary, thoughthey areto thosewhoknowthem.They seekwholeness.
• EB is a constant threat waiting topounceontheslightest vulnerability. Thisis not thecasewith all diseases and must berecognized.
Focus on Everyday
• Navigating and surviving EB every day iswhere families thriveand wheretheir expertise lies.
• ‘Everyday’ canbeused strategically to link thephysical product withthe emotional valueproposition.
Don’tOversell
• Anytreatment, evena newclinicaltrial,is a step forward,a breakthrough – but not a cureand not a miracle – yet.
Usingthe“Butterfly”Symbol
Branding&DesignImplications Design
• Wecanusethebutterfly inidentitydevelopment, but should we? Whileit would bewhollyappropriate to use, it is not differentiating forany medicationtohit themarket. However,is it inappropriate not to use the butterfly? Consider thiscarefully.
Look &Feel
• EB families are alwayson,having to work harderthantheir nonEB counterparts to accomplishthe same everyday things.
• Serenity and comfort are precious, bothemotionallyand physically. Comfort isassociated with softness like pillows and soft clothing materials.Look & Feelshould explorehowto best reflect that. Language
• Whilemedicallysavvy,this audience doesn’t use complicated terminologywhen speaking amongst eachother.Followtheir lead and keep language approachable. (Ex.wounds, hurt,heal, bandages,creams,etc.)
Stages of healing are associated with different colors and emotions
• Open wounds represent colorsassociated with heat, aggression,anger,violence, and danger.
• Healing woundsrepresent colors associated withpeace, innocence, love,and hope.
Wateris a keytheme, not necessarily about literally, but…
• Water creates buoyancyand a friction-free, weightless environment wheretheburden onthe bodyis not felt.
• Water givesa feeling of serenity and calm,which isa departurefrom the always alert stateEB families maintain.
• Water asan element representswholeness and purity. You cannot rip water apart.
• Water islife,and they want toexperienceit to thefullest.
TacticalImplications
BuildIt Together
• The EB communityis small but tightly knit. Asking members to help lay thefoundation for a new product ordigital hub/experience willensurecommunityownership.
• Recommendation: Use a microsite that asks community members to participate in the creation of anything new. Many digital channels can be used to collect data, thoughts, opinions and feedback.
TrustIs Essential
• TheEB communityrelies onsocial channelsto reach members forpracticaltips and emotionalsupport. Building trust onexisting channels is paramount to thesuccess of any digital platform ornew product.
• Recommendation: Demonstrate/deliver value through social media channels and key patient events.
CrowdSourcetheContent
• TheEB communityis intelligent, opinionated and active. They’re constantlyexperimenting with new methods that raise awareness orimprovetreatment efforts.
• Recommendation: Spark conversations by posing questions based on community interest and need (e.g., “What are some of yourbest bandaging tips?”, “How do you deal with bullying?”). Open the conversation so that members of the community can participate and contribute.
Builda KnowledgeRepository
• Socialfeedsare temporaland fleeting, whichhides valuable content that’s difficult to find.
• Recommendation: Create a knowledge repository that allows users to search and filter content based on interest and need. Create ways to keep content up-to-date, by asking members to refresh theiranswers. Build interactive tactics that grow therepository.
CaseStudies
Available upon request
