THE WIN
Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide, a New York-based PR firm, was awarded a 16-month contract for an HIV prevention campaign, DC FACES (DC Fights AIDS: Community Excellence Stories), late last year from the DC Administration for HIV/AIDS (AHA).
The Health and Medical Practice department at Ogilvy previously developed AIDS-related campaigns for AHA and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
MAIN COMPETITION
Ogilvy Account Director Michael Briggs estimates there were at least two strong agency contenders that competed for the DC FACES account.
PITCH TEAM
Ogilvy Health and Medical Practice: Yolan Laporte, senior VP; Michael Briggs, account director; and a group of other agency contributors.
ASSIGNMENT
To win the AHA contract, Ogilvy had to sell the government agency on its ability to:
- demonstrate a knowledge of the target audiences: disadvantaged young adults including African-American women, African-American and Latino gay and bisexual men and injection drug users;
- develop a mass media social marketing campaign that provided risk reduction advice on safer sex, getting tested, using condoms, etc;
- incorporate models to convey thoughts, feelings and actions that are appropriate behaviors for HIV prevention; and
- Feature those models and their messages in signs/billboards, radio ads and distribution of prevention paraphernalia.
HOMEWORK
Ogilvy's past work with AHA and the CDC aided tremendously in familiarizing the agency with the communication needs for DC FACES. Having worked on previous HIV/AIDS campaigns in the DC area, Ogilvy capitalized on those contacts to enhance their target audience strategies for DC FACES. AHA submitted a request for proposal about 15 months ago, giving the agencies several months to prepare for the pitch. Within that time period, Ogilvy's homework included:
- cultivating community connections;
- researching target audience groups;
- identifying effective marketing locales including bars, laundry mats and beauty salons;
- developing innovative mass media strategies, such as Condom Cards through HotStamps postcards and ConPacts - a combination beauty compact and condom carrying case; and
- revolutionizing the HIV message in a hits-home approach.
"Our combination of experience with HIV prevention as well as some of the more innovative approaches with community partners to find out what their needs are - [collectively] made us the choice," says Briggs.
PRESENTATION
After pitching the Safe Men are Right Together (SMART) campaign for AHA that targeted African-American and Latino gay men in area bars in 1996, Ogilvy maintained strong connections with local minority HIV/AIDS organizations. This expertise helped with developing key messages for the DC FACES campaign.
Contrary to other government presentations, DC FACES stuck to an informal, Power Point-free discussion-based presentation.
Ogilvy submitted a 20-page binder of media samples plus supporting materials. This information highlighted the agency's knowledge and expertise in the HIV/AIDS field by drawing on its previous experiences. It contained examples of the campaign spokespeople - everyone's next door neighbor - and the stories they would tell. "We took the additional step of providing them with speculative, creative sample materials," says Laporte.
PITCH TIPS
Having done marketing campaigns for two major government-based healthcare agencies - National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute and the Corporation for National Service (http://www.cns.gov) - Laporte says pitching this kind of business comes down to achieving two importance goals :patience and perseverance.
"Government proposals can consume an awfully long time. It can be three to twelve months from the first notification to final award. There are no quick answers."
The thoroughness of Ogilvy's proposal was instrumental in why AHA selected the agency, says Judith Johnson, the AHA's chief of communications and community liaison. "In the government these days everyone is looking for measurable initiatives, trying to get the most effective program for the least amount of money."
(Ogilvy, Yolan Laporte 202/452-9412 and Michael Briggs 202/452-9409/ AHA, Judith Johnson 202/727-2500)
Ogilvy Public Relations (Washington, D.C. Office)
- Founded: 1981
- Revenues: $16.3 million
- Employees: 140
- Healthcare Clients: CDC: Age prevention, cancer prevention, National Heart Lung and Blood Institute (NHI), Department of Education and Department of Labor.
- Web site: http://www.ogilvypr.com