Organization: Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI)
Agency: Widmeyer Communications
Timeframe: August 2009 -
Feb. 2010
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| Dr. Julian Bailes of the Brain Injury Research Institute testifies about the dangers of concussions before Congress in October 2009. Photo courtesy of Widmeyer Communications |
On Oct. 28, 2009, Dr. Julian Bailes, the head of neurosurgery at the West Virginia School of Medicine and founding member of the Brain Injury Research Institute (BIRI), was testifying before a House Judiciary Committee hearing convened to examine the impact of head injuries on National Football League players. Seven years earlier, Bailes, a former football player himself, and colleague Dr. Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist, had discovered a disease called chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in the brain of a deceased NFL legend, Mike Webster of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Subsequent research and the examination of several other deceased NFL players’ brains led Bailes and Omalu to concluded that repeated blows to the head—not necessarily those strong enough to cause concussions—can have a cumulative effect, causing behavioral problems and dementia at a relatively early age.
Yet up until the congressional hearing, the NFL had brushed off the connection between concussions and long-term health—saying more research would be needed. But then came a defining moment: During his testimony, Bailes showed a dissection slide of a healthy brain. He then showed a slide of Webster’s brain, and the difference was shocking, with menacing dark brown spots peppering the shot of Webster’s brain.
“Until that point, there had been a lot of back and forth on whether there really was something about concussions,” says Dwayne Lawler, senior VP at Widmeyer Communications, which had been working on BIRI’s behalf since the summer of 2009. “But after that the dialogue changed to ‘what can we do about it.’”
In the years and months before that a-ha moment, the concussion issue was brewing in the press (fueled by a 2007 report on CTE on HBO’s Real Sports), and eventually caught the attention of Congress as well. That’s when Bailes decided that BIRI could use some PR counsel.
“I believed people would benefit from us getting the word out about what the Institute was doing in regards to CTE,” says Bailes. “We needed to engage with stakeholders in a targeted way, and articulate the science behind the findings clearly.”
So they called Widmeyer, the Washington D.C.- and New York-based PR and public affairs agency. Widmeyer has an established healthcare practice and a public affairs staff that has plenty of Capitol Hill experience. Both those capabilities would be key in the initiative.
PREGAME OBJECTIVES
Widmeyer identified two central objectives that would also be challenges: First, elevate a relatively quiet BIRI’s profile in the media; and second, position BIRI in the concussion debate by distinguishing the organization among other research and medical entities.
To address these objectives —and exploit them as opportunities for BIRI—the Widmeyer team assessed the existing BIRI assets and strategically leveraged them against the challenges. This involved:
• Positioning BIRI as prime mover on the concussion issue: the first researchers to discover CTE in an NFL player.
• Leveraging BIRI’S standing as an objective, research-based, scientific organization leading in the treatment, cure and prevention of concussive and sub-concussive brain injuries.
• Raising awareness of CTE. Create understanding among key stakeholders that while CTE was caused by concussions, there was a lesser-known but significant cause for the disease in the form of sub-concussive injuries: repeated blows to the head.
• While the focus was on the cause of the disease, begin getting ahead of the story by positioning BIRI and its researchers as leading on prevention, treatment and cure.
• Use media relations successes to strengthen credibility and expand relationships with BIRI legislators, potential partner organizations and other key stakeholders.
One of the biggest challenges was taking complex medical findings and boiling them down to simpler messages that resonate with stakeholders. “This was a complicated topic,” says Bailes. “We’ve seen CTE in the military and among boxers and wrestlers. But because it was found within arguably America’s most high-profile sport, there was an opportunity to be able to articulate the disease well to the public.”
And how did Widmeyer do that? “It helps to have a medical doctor on your team, and to have a technical background in a given area,” says Lawler. “But whether you have technical ability or not, if you can listen to your client and ask the right questions, chances are you’ll be successful.” (See more tips for breaking down complex information in the sidebar.)
HEADING TOWARD PAYDIRT
To deploy those strategies, Widmeyer executed the following tactics:
â–¶ Research and development of written and oral congressional testimony. As part of the efforts to simplify details of CTE, Widmeyer helped draft Bailes’ statements before Congress. “The goal was to identify the main points in a clear, seamless way,” says Lawler. The testimony was broken up into primary and secondary points. The primary points would be covered in Bailes’ statement to the committee; the secondary points would be saved for the Q&A session with the lawmakers.
â–¶ Public affairs counsel with members of the House Judiciary Committee. While lobbying by a PR firm is against the law, disseminating information isn’t. Widmeyer took on the role of information provider to the committee. “We quickly responded to requests for more data,” says Lawler.
â–¶ Positioning and branding of BIRI. This included the development of a core mission statement and background materials. Lawler stresses that the intention wasn’t to raise BIRI’s profile, but to position them as an expert in the public debate of CTE. “Using that principle, we helped write Web site content and other messaging documents,” he says.
â–¶ Speaker training for Drs. Bailes and Omalu prior to congressional hearings. “I don’t know if you can really get trained for Congressional hearings,” muses Bailes. “But for me it was a fascinating experience—being presented as a subject matter expert and having the opportunity to contribute to the public debate.” (See sidebar for more tips on testifying.)
â–¶ Targeted media outreach. Widmeyer launched significant press outreach around the Congressional hearings. As a result, stories featuring Bailes and Omalu appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Associated Press, Detroit News, The New York Times and Sirius XM Radio’s “60/20 Sports” with James Carville and Luke Russert
In February of this year, Widmeyer organized a Super Bowl press event at the NFL’s media center, announcing a partnership between BIRI and the Gridiron Greats Assistance Fund (GGAF), where BIRI player liaison Garrett Webster, son of Mike Webster, and BIRI medical advisor, Dr. Jennifer Hammers, spoke alongside GGAF founder Mike Ditka.
The event resulted in a story in The Chicago Tribune, an editorial in the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and an episode of ESPN’s Outside the Lines that aired the morning of Super Bowl Sunday. All totaled, BIRI was mentioned in over 70 articles and broadcast news segments, reaching an audience of over 290 million.
GOING INTO OVERTIME
If there was anything lacking in the campaign, says Henry Engleka, principal and leader of Widmeyers’ healthcare practice, it was partnerships. “Having more third-party organizations like GGAF that had a stake in the issue would have been more helpful,” says Engleka, who stresses that the team of four Widmeyer staff members working nearly full-time on the effort successfully communicated BIRI’s messaging in the long run.
As a result of Widmeyers’ effort and the testimony of Bailes and Omalu, the NFL began to change its messaging on concussions from aloof to concerned. The league now addresses CTE as a real threat to its players.
Yet the reality of the problem remains. On one NFL Sunday this month, six players suffered concussions, some of them by “head shots”—defensive players leading with their helmets to make tackles.
For Bailes, the incidents sparked more media appearances and some exasperation on his part. “It’s very disappointing to me that in spite of all the research, there appears to be players who still don’t get it,” he says. PRN
CONTACT:
Dr. Julian Bailes, [email protected]; Dwayne Lawler, [email protected]; Henry Engleka, [email protected].
Translating Complex Science Topics is Really An Art
One of the biggest challenges Widmeyer Communications had in its effort to promote the Brain Injury Research Institute’s concussion expertise was to communicate complex medical science to the public in an understandable and engaging way. Here are some tips on how to do so from Widmeyer’s Henry Engleka, a principal and leader of its healthcare practice:
• Frame the topic correctly. Find easy-to-comprehend ways to connect the audience to the topic. “[Use] some common or shared values or beliefs,” says Engleka.
• Visuals are important. “The fact that Dr. Julian Bailes was able to compare the slides of a healthy brain vs. a brain with CTE was critical,” says Engleka. “It was a show-stopper.”
• Use third-party groups. Find relevant groups that have a stake in the topic. “For CTE it could be parent associations or Pop Warner Football leagues,” he says. “They can better communicate the science to their own groups.”
Testifying Before Congress? Time to Sweat the Details
In your communications lifetime, you may never prepare a client or executive for congressional testimony. Yet some of the tips from Widmeyer Communications senior VP Dwayne Lawler can be adapted to any speaking situation. In any case, it’s the little things that count.
• Be organized. “Put your typed-up version of your oral statement and other notes in a three-ring binder,” says Lawler. “That way you’re not shuffling papers in front of Congress and C-SPAN.”
• Pick a focal point. “Your goal of a smooth presentation is hampered by a battalion of still photographers, staff aides walking in and out of the room, and the threat of a bell that indicates a vote coming up in the House or Senate,” explains Lawler. “So pick a point straight ahead to look at and deliver your remarks to that point.”
• Know the lighting system. Green means you’re recognized to speak for five minutes; yellow means you have one minute left; and red means you’re out of time. “You must avoid getting the gavel at all costs,” says Lawler.
• End it gracefully. Thank the chairman and committee members. Even if you’ve been grilled beyond belief, have a sense of politeness, says Lawler. “You’ll never win an argument while testifying, so make your points in a thoughtful way, and at the end thank them for inviting you,” he concludes.