ExPRessions

Right now I’m working through an independent study in integrated marketing communications. As part of the study, I will be writing about three case studies from Public Relations Cases, the textbook written by Hendrix and Hayes. And, I’d also like to apologize in advance for how long these posts will be!

“A Fashionable Red Alert Warns Women of the Heart Truth”
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Have you ever seen those little red dresses?

This campaign, The Heart Truth®, reach out to women to inform then of their No. 1 killer: heart disease. In addition to increasing awareness, this campaign also encouraged women to talk to their doctors about it.

Quick details

• Extensive research, including analyzing more than just demographics. Ogilvy researched their heart health knowledge, socioeconomic factors,  media preferences and more.
• Targeted women between 40 and 60. Secondary targets were between 18 to 39.
• Clever tagline: “Heart Disease Doesn’t Care What You Wear–It’s the #1 Killer of Women
• Symbol: Red Dress icon

The execution for this campaign is very impressive. The Heart Truth Web site provides resources, tools, campaign materials and information on getting involved. I also was impressed with the logo, wordmark and trademark statement guidelines–something that’s not always easy to find. To show support, the site has a link to its little Red Dress pin (although I personally like this one, with sparkling crystals.)

The campaign used stories and photos from women who have had experience with heart disease. It’s might be easy for you to ignore the fact that one in four women die of heart disease, but reading about Erin’s experience of being diagnosed at age 39 helps puts a face to the disease.

Public service announcements, like the one below, were printed and aired on radio and television:

Materials created for this campaign include a free Healthy Heart Handbook for Women and a kit for speakers to use. On the site, I also found an action plan document, a brochure, recipes, a video and wallet cards. These all have consistent branding and you can choose to download them for free or to purchase copies.

Lastly, the campaign partnered with national nonprofit organizations, corporations and the media to get the message to women.

In addition to the promotions through its partners and their events, Laura Bush promoted the campaign. Media, including Parade, USA Today, and GLAMOUR covered the campaign. Stores, such as Walmart and Radio Shack, became involved. There were more than 100 local events, 31 Heart Truth Single City Stops, and five events hosted by Laura Bush. She also held a press event, declaring February as American Heart Month. National Wear Red Day®, a fashion week, a road show and the First Ladies Red Dress Collection also are significant parts of the campaign.

Quick results

• 1,089,242,427 audience impressions
• 206 million television PSA impressions
• 187 million radio PSA impressions
• 25 million color PSA impressions in magazines, with an advertising value close to $500,000
• 795,000 Red Dress pins distributed

There were many more impressions through the campaigns partnerships and community events.

My thoughts

When this campaign began, social media definitely wasn’t as important of an aspect. Through a quick search, I found The Heart Truth on Twitter. They have a well-branded page, but only 346 followers. They also have a Flickr page, great for fashionistas who are interested in red dresses. Their fan page on Facebook has 1,334 fans. I also noticed they have a Delicious page, which is great for sharing links.

My first tip would be to reach out to people having conversations about heart disease on Twitter. This is an opportunity for them to answer questions and interact with people online. Another problem I see is that the aren’t following any real people…just organizations related to heart health.

While they posted a lot in February, I don’t see much posted this March. Just because their special month is over doesn’t mean they should stop promoting the cause. I think it would be great to share more than just their own information. The fan page could serve as a great resource about new articles and research about heart disease.

And while I am impressed that they have a Delicious page, I see that the last post is from January 2009. They need to be sharing more information to be seen as an all-around resource. They also seem to post a lot about red dresses and their partners. I’d like to see more resources about heart disease posted.

Obviously this was a very successful campaign. What do you think about it?