Company: International Hyperhidrosis Society
Agency: Chandler Chicco Agency
Timeframe: 2005-2006
Nearly 500 e-mails and letters per week pour into the office of Lisa Pieretti, executive director of the International Hyperhidrosis Society (IHHS; Philadelphia) from
patients who are sweatin' sweat --literally -- as they suffer from a condition called hyperhidrosis, also known as excessive sweating. The immense amount of mail Pieretti receives
is no exaggeration -- nearly 8 million Americans, or 3% of the U.S. population, suffer from hyperhidrosis. Yet despite the high number, it remains an unfamiliar and often
misdiagnosed condition by patients and physicians alike. This lack of knowledge prompted Pieretti and her staff to partner with the New York-based healthcare PR firm Chandler
Chicco Agency in 2005 to launch Know Sweat!, a campaign designed to raise awareness of hyperhidrosis as a serious medical condition, and to encourage sufferers to seek
professional medical attention.
The e-mails and letters Pieretti received contained "incredible insights on what patients need, and what they're looking for, and we were hoping that if we could help the
general public be able to relate and understand that it is a medical condition, then maybe we could create some compassion," Pieretti says, noting that the campaign "came about as
a direct result of the feedback that we received from patients."
Pieretti and her assembled team focused on three key strategies for their campaign:
- Creating a news hook that would interest consumer media by conducting a national survey revealing respondents' "sweatiest moments;"
- Using compelling patient stories to bring the condition to life for target audiences; and,
- Conducting extensive national and local consumer media outreach to educate media and consumers about hyperhidrosis, potential treatment options and treating specialty
physicians who can provide further information.
Sweating The Small Stuff
The introduction of Know Sweat! did bring challenges prior to the campaign launch. "One of the challenges going into the campaign is that hyperhidrosis is a condition that is
highly undiagnosed or misdiagnosed," says Jennifer Corbett, a campaign team member from Chandler Chicco Agency. "A lot of doctors don't even know they should recognize it as
sweating and should refer patients to a dermatologist who can treat them." An additional challenge was prompting the media "to recognize hyperhidrosis as a real disease with
devastating psychological impact or repercussions," says Maggie O'Rourke, a campaign team member from Chandler Chicco Agency.
Coverage of a disease can also prove difficult to generate without new treatment approvals, clinical data or scientific advancement into understanding the cause of the disease.
"A newsworthy angle was needed to secure media interest," Corbett says.
Survey Says
In order to create a news hook that would essentially spark consumer media interest, IHHS commissioned a Harris Interactive survey to determine what causes adults to
sweat--job interviews, first dates, etc. -- and to ascertain their awareness of excessive sweating as a treatable medical condition. "'Every moment is a sweatiest moment' -- that
was kind of our hook," Corbett says. "Once the media understands this story, they think it's very interesting because everyone can relate to sweating."
Results from the more than 1,300 Americans and Canadians adults polled highlighted the difference between occasional, circumstantial sweating and those who sweat profusely no
matter the situation; these results were compared to data from a separate, similar study collected through IHHS' member database. IHHS further strengthened awareness by collecting
and incorporating poignant patient testimonials into launch event presentations. One spokesperson, a 16-year-old who successfully treated her condition, proved vital to the
campaign, as her testimonial accumulated "a flood of email and phone calls from other teenagers," and launched the creation of a column on the IHHS Web site. Her story "really
stuck a chord," O'Rourke says. "People don't want to turn themselves inside out for the world to see, but the more personal triumphs and stories that come out, the better."
Media Relations, 360-Style
A press briefing in New York City helped to kick off the Know Sweat! campaign with attendees from various media outlets, such as CosmoGirl!, Prevention, Real Simple and
the New York Daily News, and presenters from IHHS, dermatologists, a psychologist and two hyperhidrosis patients. More than 500 reporters received the Know Sweat! press
kit consisting of survey results and educational facts on hyperhidrosis and extensive phone follow-up was conducted. Additional tactics included a radio media tour, an audio news
release, a video news release dispatched to nationwide television stations, and a radio public service announcement that gained 18 million impressions.
Response to Know Sweat! has exceeded expectations--the team's broad marketing strategies have garnered media attention from several key outlets, including CBS Marketwatch,
CosmoGirl!, Seventeen and Good Housekeeping, among others--all of which have focused coverage on hyperhidrosis and the information disseminated by the Know Sweat! campaign.
IHHS' Web site, SweatHelp.org, has increased traffic by 300 percent since the campaign's birth. Hits to CosmoGirl!'s Web site attracted the most traffic since the site's
inception following an article in the magazine that featured one of the campaign patient spokespeople, Corbett says.
Know Sweat! evolved into a two-pronged strategy unbeknownst to Pieretti at the beginning of its launch, as the campaign that was ultimately unveiled to an adult target audience
quickly grew to channel a different generation. "In 2006, the campaign grew to address children and the teen audience," Pieretti says.
Key to the campaign's latest development is an online forum on the IHHS Web site that is devoted to teenagers who suffer from excessive sweating. The new site, Teen Sweat 101,
has thus far gained media coverage from various outlets, including the Detroit News, St. Paul Pioneer Press and on Kidzworld.com. Eleven parenting magazines are expected to
publish related articles as well. "Demand keeps coming in" for an informational workbook that was developed by the team and is distributed to teens and schools, O'Rourke says.
Best Practices
Going forward, the team will strengthen efforts on the teen and children initiative by formulating "new tactics to keep that campaign alive," such as generating school health
professional and school administrator involvement, Pieretti says. "We just re-launched our Web site and we're preparing for more community building because we have so many
patients who want to get to know each other," Pieretti says. "We'd love to have some support groups--similar to conferences--as well as continuous patient education and physician
education."
While continuous coverage remains a challenge in any campaign, the team also generates attention by issuing various press releases that highlight occasions where people may
sweat excessively such as prom or weddings, O'Rourke says.
For any PR professionals attempting to launch a similar campaign, O'Rourke has a few recommendations. The first step, she says, is to get in touch with patients who have a
specific disease or disorder. "It really humanizes the story and also provides case histories and testimonials to not only deal with the disorder or the disease but to provide a
success story in some cases," she says.
Garnering local coverage is also crucial because it can potentially peak the interest of national reporters, O'Rourke says.
She adds, "Keep trying new angles, new interesting stories--there are so many different ones out there. There are plenty to work with."
CONTACTS:
Lisa Pieretti, 215.351.9050, [email protected]; Jennifer Corbett, 212.229.8455, [email protected]; Maggie O'Rourke, 212.845.5638, [email protected]