Brand journalism site stands alone among biotech companies dealing with rare diseases

CSL Behring, one of the world’s largest biotech companies, had a clear goal: Assume the mantle of brand leadership and differentiate itself from its competition. For achieving these goals, CSL Behring has won first place in the “Content Marketing and Brand Journalism” category of Ragan’s 2018 PR Daily Awards.

The company’s global corporate affairs and communications team decided to establish a brand journalism-driven storytelling platform dubbed Vita (“life” in Latin) to serve as a source of emotionally compelling and inspiring stories about the promise of biotechnology. The team planned to use the site as the hub of its content strategy and reduce the amount of work it performed as it aligned its efforts with the goals of the site.

The content the team produces is obviously from CSL Behring, but it’s not about the company. It is deliberately about and for patients and employees. Articles have included an original animation explaining hemophilia, a guide to storing infused medicines at the right temperature and guidance for how college students with rare diseases can thrive on campus.

Traffic to the site has doubled since its launch, and time spent on Vita stories is higher than any content on the company’s other sites. Patients and patient organizations have amplified the content from the site through their social media channels, and subscriptions to the Vita newsletter have spiked worldwide.

Congratulations to the CSL Behring Global Corporate Affairs and Communications team.