Examples of Initiatives to Reach Diverse Populations

 

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services - Parents Speak Up National Campaign to prevent teen pregnancy, multiple messages for parents of African-American, Hispanic and Caucasian pre-teens distributed in waves to broadcast media in every U.S. market to maintain visibility over several years.

 

National Institute on Drug Abuse - Award-winning "After the Party" PSA, produced in Spanish and mixed-language (English and Spanish) to inform teens of the connection between drug use and HIV transmission, distributed to Hispanic markets

 

USO – multiple bilingual campaigns targeting English and Spanish language television and radio outlets nationwide with public service messages of support for U.S. military troops

 

Susan G. Komen for the Cure – Spanish language television spot and African-American television spot to brand Susan G. Komen for the Cure as the leading organization searching for a cure for breast cancer, distributed to targeted ethnic media outlets

 

Moffitt Cancer Center – Bilingual campaign targeting English and Spanish language radio stations in Florida to encourage ethnic minority participation in clinical trials

 

State of California Department of Insurance – English and Spanish public service messages distributed to television and radio stations in California to notify drivers of low-cost insurance program and lower rates of uninsured driving

 

March of Dimes – Spanish language television spots reminding caregivers of small children to get pertussis booster vaccine, distributed to Spanish language media outlets nationwide

 

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission – Public service messages encouraging homeowners of pool safety rules distributed in English and Spanish to television, radio and out-of-home media outlets in media markets in the U.S. with high concentrations of homes with pools

 

NOAA/National Weather Service/Lightning Protection Institute – Spanish language television spots reminding parents and children to stay indoors during thunderstorms to avoid lightning strikes, distributed to Spanish language television stations located in high strike areas

 

Gynecological Cancer Foundation – Television spots targeting racially diverse young adults to educate on the benefits of the HPV vaccine, distributed to television media outlets in racially diverse media markets

 

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services Office of Minority Health – Radio and print public service messages targeting ethnic minorities to promote healthy motherhood, distributed to ethnic media outlets

 

Federal Communications Commission – Radio spots produced in three Asian languages to inform listeners of the switch to digital TV programming, distributed to targeted ethnic media outlets according to the concentrations of Vietnamese, Chinese and Laotian speakers in those markets

 

National Marrow Donor Program– Television spots asking African Americans to register for bone marrow donation were distributed to ethnic media outlets with African American audiences

 

The examples listed above are only a portion of the campaigns that achieved high visibility while under my close management.  I counseled each client on the tactics and strategies to generate the greatest visibility given the campaign goals, attributes and parameters.  All recommendations were based on a thorough analysis of media data from multiple sources and focused on utilizing limited resources in the most efficient and effective manner. 

 

For campaigns targeting African American, Asian American and Hispanic audiences, I solicited input from representatives of the target communities to ensure the cultural appropriateness of the messages and distribution strategy. The messages must be relatable and motivational, which requires the involvement of community members at every stage of the development process.  Accurate audience research, key message development with feedback from community representatives, creation of materials in a variety of formats and distribution through relevant channels builds momentum for embracing key messages. 

 

Each campaign was produced with input from the relevant communities in order to reach the highest level of cultural competency.  The key phrases, translations, visuals and audio were carefully crafted to appeal to the target audience and produced in the preferred format specified by each media outlet.  After distribution to the media outlets, follow-up pitching was conducted in-language with culturally-sensitive pitch materials.  Many media outlets expressed appreciation for receiving high-quality content tailored for their audience with messages that could truly benefit their community.

 

It was quite heartening to collaborate with ethnic media outlets to drive crucial messages into traditionally underserved communities and play a role in filling the information gap that keeps ethnic minorities from achieving health equity.