Driving Awareness for Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month

In September, we helped our client the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) celebrate Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month to drive awareness for this serious lung disease affecting more than 200,000 Americans. This year presented a particularly difficult media environment, with health coverage focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, but our team found creative ways to cut through the clutter.

News Coverage

To kick off the month, we distributed feature articles to media in both English and Spanish. We also sent out a press release about the common myths and misconceptions surrounding pulmonary fibrosis (PF) causes, treatments, diagnoses and more. News coverage generated more than 400M impressions.

• Top feature story placements included LA Times, Chicago Tribune, NY Daily News and The Arizona Republic, as well as pick-up in Hispanic outlets such as Arizona Hispano News, Ahora News, Diario Horizonte and La Prensa Hispana Newspaper.
• Proactive outreach highlighted PFF ambassadors and the importance of more awareness and research, including placements in Bridge the Gap Podcast, RT Magazine, Health News Digest, Responsum for PF and Pulmonology Advisor.

Radio Media Tour

PFF medical expert Dr. Sonye Danoff got the word out nationally in a series of radio interviews. She described the symptoms and risk factors of PF and encouraged listeners to discuss the disease with their physicians. Dr. Danoff completed 17 interviews, totaling 473 segment airings with more than 29M impressions.

Web Blitz

For additional coverage, we submitted articles by the PF medical team and patients to national websites, generating more than 21M impressions. Sample articles included:

• EmpowHER.com: PFF Ambassador Melissa Wheeler shared her first-hand experience with PF and her lung transplant journey. She also encouraged women to be their own advocates and speak to their doctors.
• Patient’s Lounge – PFF Ambassador Fred Schick discussed his unexpected PF diagnosis, as well as symptoms and risk factors to look out for.
• Thrive Global – PFF’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gregory Cosgrove discussed key signs and symptoms of PF, along with how to get involved during PFAM.
• Vocal Media – PFF Medical Expert Dr. Joyce S. Lee defined PF and highlighted available treatments.
• Medium.com – PFF Medical Expert Dr. Sonye Danoff shared important facts about PF and ways to spread the word in September.
  

Digital Ad Campaign

To amplify our messaging even further, a digital ad campaign in both English and Spanish reached key at-risk and general awareness audiences. The ads – both in text and video formats – highlighted PF myths, symptoms and risk factors, as well as portraits of PFF ambassadors to raise awareness and fundraising efforts. The digital ad campaign significantly drove clicks to AboutPF.org and AboutPF.org/Espanol, garnering 24,000 clicks and nearly 2M impressions across Facebook and banner ads.

Despite a unique news cycle, we were still able to increase awareness of PF during this important month. To learn more about PF, visit www.AboutPF.org.  

Inaugural Student Sleep Health Week Paves the Way for Student Success

From September 14 to 20, the LCWA healthcare PR team helped the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) hold the inaugural Student Sleep Health Week. Amidst a back-to-school season unlike any other, the observance amplified critical messaging surrounding student sleep health, powered by expert spokespersons, influencers, partner organizations – and even Congress!

We kicked off the campaign by obtaining newsworthy statistics with a survey of 2,000 adults across the U.S. In the survey, over half (57%) of parents of school-age children said that they have a child or teen who does not get enough sleep on school nights. This stat, and others from the survey, were highlighted on the Student Sleep Health Week landing page and throughout content.

To widen the campaign’s reach, we coordinated outreach to other organizations which have stakeholders in the student health and wellness arena. Signing on to support the week were American School Counselor Association, American School Health Association, National Association of School Nurses, National PTA, National Safety Council, Project Sleep, Society for Health and Physical Educators, and Sleep Research Society. Partners, along with state and county health departments, were provided toolkits including press releases, custom social media content and graphics, and copy for newsletters and websites.

A press release highlighting the stats drove editorial media coverage, including The Houston Chronicle, The Herald News and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. We also placed byline articles by experts across a range of thought-leadership media outlets, including Medium, ThriveGlobal and ScaryMommy.

To drive the buzz on social media, we had partnerships with 16 online influencers, who drove conversations about the benefits of student sleep with content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube and blogs. Instagram Live interviews also drove buzz and covered a range of topics related to student sleep, from the benefits of melatonin to the importance of a consistent bed and waketime.

This first Student Sleep Health Week will become a first annual -- Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren and Congressman Rodney Davis introduced House Resolution 1103 to support that National Student Sleep Health Week be held annually during the third week of September.

We look forward to working with the AASM to continue holding Student Sleep Health Week for years to come!

Be Ready for the Unexpected This Fire Prevention Month

While our client First Alert, the most trusted brand in fire safety, works hard year-round to educate others about the importance of smoke and carbon monoxide (CO) safety, First Alert’s mission becomes increasingly important come Fire Prevention Month in October. Throughout the month, fire departments, nonprofit organizations and other safety advocate come together to educate the public about the importance of whole home safety.

The First Alert brand and PR team uses the month of October as an opportunity to push First Alert’s smoke and CO safety messages to the media and consumers alike. We work hard to saturate the media in a variety of ways to deliver helpful and informative safety tips to people across the country.

Media Relations  

As a first step toward educating the public about the importance of being prepared for the unexpected this Fire Prevention Month, we issued a multi-media press release in both English and Spanish to complement a bilingual broadcast media tour. In addition to the press release, the team also distributed a syndicated feature story to coincide with Fire Prevention Week but that includes tips to generate interest throughout the fall. Both releases underscore the importance of whole home safety as we continue to spend more time at home, and encourages readers to create an emergency preparedness plan with their family.

Partnerships

October is an equally busy time for many of our non-profit partners and media partners. Beginning in late September and throughout October a variety of initiatives – many virtual – extend our whole home safety messaging to audiences of all ages. Local media campaigns with TV and radio stations reach audiences however they obtain content. And this year more than ever our local partnerships have proven that creativity wins. The Aurora Regional Fire Museum, DuPage Children’s Museum and other Chicagoland organizations have worked with us to create and share content with their audiences.

Celebrity PSA

A cornerstone of First Alert’s Fire Prevention Month campaign is a celebrity PSA intended to remind Americans to talk to their families about fire safety and take key steps to help protect what matters most. Actor Taylor Kinney, who plays a firefighter on television, as entered millions of households with his compelling safety message.

To learn more about First Alert and the importance of fire safety, check out https://www.firstalert.com/firepreventionmonth/.