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/.