Smith+Nephew

Acticoat is Smith & Nephew’s antimicrobial wound dressing containing silver to prevent and combat infection in chronic wounds. It is a well-established product, but there was opportunity to increase market share.

Healthcare professionals were aware that Acticoat was proven to work, but its price point meant it was too often used as a last resort when infection had taken hold. But if a wound gets infected it can very quickly lead to escalating health problems and costs. We set out to rethink the story to persuade people to use Acticoat at the right time.

We created the ‘Time to Act’ concept, based on a powerful proposition: on the first signs of infection you need to ‘Act with Certainty’ — with a neat link to the product name too. Imagery featured reportage photography of real-life healthcare situations — a non-glossy authenticity rarely seen in the sector — aligned to the brand as ‘supporter of healthcare professionals’. Infographics were also developed so key facts could be absorbed quickly.