From analog booth to 3D virtual experience: Eucerin at the 28th EADV Congress

The EADV Congress is one of the most relevant events in the field of dermatology and venereology worldwide. Beiersdorf’s dermocosmetics brand Eucerin was again part of the congress this year but was faced with an enormous challenge due to the COVID-19 pandemic: The congress (October 28th to November 1st) was held virtually for the very first time. In this interview, Dr. Gitta Neufang (Chief Innovation & Medical Officer), Salvador Juarez (Senior Medical Manager) and Dr. Adel Sammain (Medical Advisor) reveal how they turned these challenges into a great success through agility.

Gitta: EADV stands for European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology. The congress takes place once a year and is the hotspot for healthcare professionals. Here they can learn more about current research and development from experts from all over the world. For us, presence at the event is very important because dermatologists are one of our most important target groups. It is the perfect setting to meet them, exchange about relevant topics and share our latest scientific findings with them. After all, the congress has more than 12,000 participants from more than 100 countries.

Salvador: In fact, we did! Of course, the new format has presented us with challenges. However, our team is agile and more than dedicated. So, we created a strategy to reach our target group in the best possible way – even under the new conditions. This of course required a great deal of agility as well as new ways of thinking. And soon we realized that the new situation also came along with new opportunities!

Gitta: The virtual congress was a great way to increase Eucerin’s presence on digital platforms for healthcare experts. But above all, we proved dermatologists that we are always there for them. Despite any kind of complex situation, Eucerin always strives to be a partner who guides healthcare professionals in an agile, flexible way and with full commitment. Online and offline.

Gitta: Skin concerns such as acne, atopic dermatitis, or hyperpigmentation not only affect people’s skin. They often have an impact on self-esteem, mental wellbeing and thus on the quality of their lives. For example, a baby suffering from atopic dermatitis: As parents you feel helpless and it is terrible to see your baby suffering, scratching all night and not being able to sleep. We have created effective, highly tolerable and clinically proven solutions! Not only to stop the itch and enable a good night’s sleep, but also to provide relief for worried parents and allow the entire family to enjoy life to the fullest again.

Adel: Yes, and there was even more. We also wanted to promote a topic that is very close to our hearts: psychosocial aspects in dermatology. We are very aware of the consequences of chronic skin diseases, the associated stigmatization and the high impact on the quality of life of people. However, emotional support and counselling are not part of the medical curriculum. Therefore, we have used the moment of attention of dermatologists to organize a webinar shortly before the EADV Congress to raise awareness: ‘Why scratching the surface is unsatisfactory for everyone’. The session was moderated by the international experts Prof. Christine Bundy (Cardiff University, UK) and Prof. Matthias Augustin (University of Hamburg, Germany). Patients need support that goes deeper than just into the depth of the skin. If they get it, it will change their lives for the better, and we want to support this by sensitizing people who can help those affected. The virtual video call was a great opportunity to do this and to increase the exchange and interaction with dermatologists. Of course, not every health care professional was able to participate. Therefore, we will make the content available on our website of the Unna Academy.

Thank you for these interesting insights about how to transform a challenge into success and about your purpose to change people’s lives!

Carolin is responsible for our Pharmacy and Selective Brands within the Corporate Communications team. In this way she takes care of international communication projects of brands like Eucerin, Aquaphor, Hansaplast and La Prairie.