The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists and the Washington, D.C. office of Ketchum Public Relations discovered the value of unique messages for unique groups last
month when they targeted African Americans, Latinos and other ethnic populations with information on Type 2 diabetes. Those populations are at high risk for the disease, which is
often diagnosed later in life, but is on the rise among younger age groups. And many don't get tested or don't manage the disease once it is diagnosed. The AACE set out to change
that with a series of PSAs designed to communicate two messages:
If you're at risk, get tested.
If you have diabetes, make sure you are treated properly.
Avoiding One-Size Fits All Approach
The Ketchum team came up with a series of radio PSAs to be distributed to stations nationwide. Although each PSA would cover the campaign's two key messages and encourage
listeners in high risk groups to contact an endocrinologist, "we felt it was crucial to find an 'authentic voice' that each group would identify with," says Amanda Marx, senior
account executive with Ketchum.
Fortunately, the AACE had received an educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corp. which allowed the team to secure celebrities who could serve as the voices behind
the PSAs. "In our hunt for talent, we first focused on celebrities with diabetes," Marx says. "We figured they would be more sympathetic to our cause and would play well with
[the target audience] many of whom" also suffer from diabetes. "We really lucked out with Delta Burke." Burke suffers from Type 2 diabetes, and has wide recognition. The team
considered her the perfect choice to appeal to the Caucasian group.
Judge Mablean Ephriam, the saucy, gregarious star of Fox's "Divorce Court," and Jerry Stackhouse, a long-time diabetes advocate, were recruited to speak to African Americans.
Stackhouse had the added appeal of being well-known to young audiences and sports fans.
Hector Elizondo, who is fluent in Spanish, became the spokesperson for the Latino-targeted PSAs because of his credibility with Latinos and his notorious ability to sidestep
stereotypical Hispanic roles in Hollywood. The Latino PSA would also be done in Spanish language because "many Latinos living in the U.S. speak English in professional circles,
but speak Spanish at home and with close friends. We wanted to introduce our messages in a private space," Marx explains.
The Delta Burke PSA addresses individuals with diabetes and encourages them to receive an AIC test, a blood test that shows how well the body is controlling blood sugar over a
three month period. She also discusses the importance of testing blood sugar levels before and after meals to find out how well food is being managed by the body.
Ephriam and Stackhouse speak to the need for African Americans to be screened for diabetes - they are twice as likely as Caucasians to develop the disease. The judge's PSAs
were distributed primarily to jazz/urban/contemporary stations and talk radio programs, while Stackhouse's announcements were sent to sports and rock stations.
Elizondo also urges screening for the Latino community and discusses AIC tests and pre- and post-meal blood sugar checks.
Results
A special 866-ENDO-HELP number included in the PSAs will serve as an important measurement tool for the campaign, as well as for future AACE campaigns.
The 12 versions of the diabetes PSAs have been distributed to around 7,600 radio stations. Ketchum conservatively estimates they will achieve around 112 million listeners. ABC,
CNN, NBC, Radio America, CBS and UPI are all airing the announcements, and most stations plan to play the PSAs throughout the year - some every hour.
Qualitatively, stations have demonstrated enormous enthusiasm for the campaign. Responses include:
"I host a morning talk show. I received your CD today and will play it. Two years ago, a physician diagnosed me with diabetes. Started exercising, taking the proper vitamins
and eating in a healthful manner. A month later, the doc informed me that he'd misdiagnosed ... My close call was a big hint for me to get busy and help others. If you have a
guest who'd like to appear on my show, I'd be real excited about that." (Ketchum: Amanda Marx, amanda. [email protected])
Campaign Stats
Timeframe: Ongoing, begun in January
Budget: $300,000, an unrestricted educational grant from Novartis Pharmaceuti-cals. The budget covered costs to build an IVR line (toll-free ENDO-HELP number); design and
produce 30,000 brochures on diabetes education in English and Spanish; and celebrity/ agent/studio fees to record the PSAs.
Team Members on Campaign:
AACE
Sissy Crabtree, communications director
Rhoda Cobin, MD, president
Paul Jellinger, MD, campaign chair and immediate past president
Ketchum
Nancy Hicks, SVP
Sue Williams, Account Supervisor
Amanda Marx, Senior Account Executive
Tahli Kouperstein, Account Executive