American Diabetes Association
Ailment
Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in America, killing more people annually than breast cancer and AIDS combined. Close to 21 million people have diabetes, and more than 6 million people are unaware they have it. In Maryland alone, nearly 300,000 people have diabetes, and it is costing the state nearly $4 billion a year. With such staggering statistics about the disease, the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) Central Maryland Chapter had a major PR problem. Media coverage about diabetes was scarce, and the time had come for a big change. The association needed to raise awareness for the high incidence and seriousness of diabetes among Marylanders. Ultimately, the ADA needed to make a positive impact on the number of people affected by the epidemic.
Prescription
- Develop a PR strategy to educate target publics about the seriousness of diabetes, the fact that it can be prevented, and how to prevent the disease. Put particular emphasis on educating non-Hispanic blacks, who are 1.8 times as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.
- Increase the visibility and positive name recognition of the ADA among target media and regional influencers, with the goals of: increasing inbound inquiries about diabetes and heightening overall awareness of the disease.
- Promote the ADA's array of cause-related community programs and constant community outreach.
Cure
Vitamin formulated an actionable strategy and plan to cure the ADA's ailing PR situation. In less than one year, the Maryland Chapter of the ADA was selected as one of only four "Spotlight Markets" to be recognized during the ADA's National Leadership Conference in Chicago. The conference took place during the ADA's 67th Scientific Sessions, the association's marquis annual meeting. There, Vitamin's VP of Communications and the ADA's Executive Director presented PR's successes before a group of 250 National Leadership Council members.
Within six months of launch, the PR efforts resulted in unprecedented successes for the ADA.
- Vitamin recruited hard-hitting Ravens defensive lineman, Haloti Ngata. We initiated and solidified a strategic alliance between the ADA and Ngata, whose mother had passed away in 2006 due to complications of diabetes. A TV public service announcement, featuring Ngata was taped and distributed to all local media to advocate diabetes prevention, and he continues to be an advocate of the ADA's education initiatives.
- Vitamin oversaw and implemented a highly targeted approach to media relations, garnering more than one million media impressions. Key media outlets that covered the ADA's stories included: The Afro-American Newspaper, Baltimore Business Journal, The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Times, Comcast, The Daily Record, WERQ-FM, and WJZ-TV among numerous others.
- Vitamin continues to help the ADA spread the word about diabetes-education and awareness. Currently, we are in the beginning stages of promoting: Safe at School (a program that educates school personnel so kids with diabetes are not discriminated against); Project Power (a faith-based, African-American centric initiative that has already garnered media attention that resulted in in-bound consumer inquiries), and several other initiatives that strive to make a positive impact on those predisposed to - and affected by - diabetes.