The Uninvited

Chronic spontaneous urticaria (CSU) is a relapsing, unremitting, life-altering, distressing skin condition that is difficult to diagnose and manage. How it develops is still not fully understood, yet the impact on patients’ quality of life of this unpredictable, psychodermatological condition has been associated with mental disorders and metabolic diseases.

Novartis’ Immunology, Hepatology and Dermatology (IHD) division was keen to highlight the devastating impact of living with CSU, beginning with helping internal teams to understand what it is like to live with the condition.

An internal multimedia awareness campaign was devised to highlight the debilitating effects of CSU. Launched to coincide with World Urticaria Day (WUD) 2020, it was designed to change the conversation; to knock the audience off their daily autopilot and change their perceptions of what it is really like to live with CSU.

The visually led campaign was inspired by the insights derived from results of a social media listening exercise (across five different languages) to better understand the impact of CSU on patients. A series of powerful illustrations were created to personify the condition as a ‘monster’ – a common theme that emerged across all languages and a term many people living with CSU use to describe themselves.


The internal campaign set a record at Novartis, with the Uninvited video being viewed over 441 times on launch day. The campaign had the desired effect, going viral through numerous online conversations internally across Yammer, which, subsequently led to local markets (Italy, France, Germany and Spain) requesting that all of the assets were translated for use in their local languages.