Antidote Partner Profile: A Q&A with Breakthrough T1D (formerly JDRF)

Enabling medical advancements is one of Antidote’s chief missions, and one way we do this is through our robust partner network. By providing our clinical trial search tool, Antidote Match, to these organizations at no cost, we can build relationships with condition experts, reach patient communities effectively, and aid individuals during their search for clinical trials.

One of these partners is Breakthrough T1D, which was formerly known as JDRF. After their recent rebrand, we chatted with their Chief Marketing Officer, Pam Morrisroe, about this change and how it’s helping them serve the community.

A Q&A with Breakthrough T1D about their rebrand from JDRF

Q: Rebranding an organization with such a long history must have been difficult. What motivated the choice, and how did Breakthrough T1D approach the communications surrounding the change?

A: It was difficult because this is a successful, well-established 50+ year brand. But we also believed our name wasn’t serving us well. After extensive market research to prove this theory, we found that while our most engaged supporters saw JDRF as having strong equity, the name did not accurately represent who we are, what we do, or the full spectrum of the type 1 diabetes (T1D) community we support. The name “JDRF” perpetuated misconceptions, with the word “Juvenile’” alienating adults with type 1 diabetes, and the word “Research” failing to capture the full picture of what we do. Also, using the acronym “JDRF” as our name made it harder for people to engage with us because they didn’t know—or couldn’t remember—the words represented by each letter.

Communications around this rebrand were critical because we are powered by volunteers who have been involved in the organization for years, some since our founding in 1970. We wanted to make sure our most important stakeholders understood what we had learned from our extensive market research, why we were making this change, and how it would drive our mission forward faster. We created a Marcom advisory council made up of dedicated volunteers who also have incredible backgrounds in marketing and branding. Those volunteers worked with us every step of the way, from choosing our agency partner, Siegel+Gale, to the research process that got us to our new name, brand strategy, and visual identity, to stakeholder management — those leaders who were trusted in the organization spoke to other volunteers who may have been concerned about this change. That support and partnership helped make this process seamless with very positive results at launch.

Q: What has the community's response been to the change?

A: The community’s response has been incredible. We launched this brand on June 4, 2024, and in less than 2 months we have seen a significant increase in awareness, engagement, and acquisition across all our channels. A few highlights include:

• 142% growth year-over-year in social media followers
• 124% growth year-over-year in website engagement
• 202% growth year-over-year in PR and earned media placements

Q: A major reason for the original title of Juvenile Diabetes (the “JD” in JDRF) was the age of diagnosis for type 1 diabetes. How has current research impacted what we know about T1D and who will likely be diagnosed?

One of the reasons we were keen to make this change is because Juvenile diabetes is a medical misnomer. The condition is type 1 diabetes, or T1D, and approximately 50% of people who are diagnosed are adults, and approximately 88% percent of the people living with T1D are adults. The “J” was holding us back because there was a perception that we only supported children, and that isn’t the case – we are driving toward cures for the entire T1D community.

Unfortunately, we know this condition is on the rise globally. We are working hard to understand the factors that contribute to diagnosis through funded research and our Early Detection program, which aims to advance general population screening and help shed more light on the condition.

Q: Breakthrough T1D is the leading global organization in the type 1 diabetes research space. How does Breakthrough T1D engage with the community around clinical trial education and research participation?

A: Our Clinical Trial Education Program helps build a culture of research participation among members of the T1D community. We are continually expanding our team of clinical trial education volunteers, who are based across the country to educate their communities and help people find a clinical trial that fits them.

Our Participant Advisory Council is also comprised of volunteers who help inform clinical trial design from the T1D perspective, including identifying barriers to research participation and expanding diversity in clinical trials.

In addition, we have a number of resources to educate the community on the importance of clinical trials, including videos and one-pagers, available in both English and Spanish, that are distributed at chapter and national events. Our new website provides comprehensive information on getting involved in research, including the Antidote clinical trials matching tool: www.BreakthroughT1D.org/clinical-trials. We want to make it as easy as possible for every member of the incredible T1D community to learn more about clinical trials and consider participation!

To learn more about Breakthrough T1D, visit them at www.BreakthroughT1D.org. To start searching for clinical trials, click the link below!