The Win
Last summer, Duffey Communications, a national PR agency and iXL, a Web marketing firm, co-pitched to the Centers for Disease Control their multimedia PR capabilities for delivering health information.
The two agencies, both located in Atlanta, gave the CDC a sneak preview of the high-tech possibilities for publicizing its weekly health publication, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR).
Duffey and iXL were selected for the government contract in September. Billings for this assignment are expected to reach $1.6 million.
Main Competition
Duffey believes it competed with at least two agencies for the assignment. The CDC would not disclose how many agencies submitted proposals.
Pitch Team
Duffey Communications: Lee Duffey, president and Eric Tannenblatt, SVP. iXL: Julie Klick, sales executive, Guy Davidson, VP of video services and Ken Morselander, VP of healthcare services.
Assignment
The CDC issued its RFP (request for proposal) in July; agency proposals were due in August. It was looking for an agency in the Atlanta area capable of:
- Launching a multimedia public information campaign that promoted MMWR research to several audiences like health officials, policymakers, educational institutions and general media.
- Repackaging the MMWR's technical scientific findings into compelling news hooks and story ideas in multiple formats, such as VNRs, audio news releases and Webcasts.
- Making the MMWR section of the CDC Web site more user-friendly for the media and general public.
Homework
To develop strategies for delivering the CDC's health information, the Duffey/iXL research team:
- Surveyed a cross section of reporters from different media to understand their health information needs.
- Reviewed various health Web sites.
- Surveyed public health officers from different states to discuss different ways of "localizing" CDC news.
- Test-drove several proprietary interactive marketing programs that could be used to analyze and disseminate the CDC's health information. These programs include Duffey's "Trend Watch" program that analyzes Web traffic and its "Ignition" push technology, which is useful for sending customized emails to specific targets like physicians and scientists.
Presentation
Often government agencies decide to award new business to agencies based solely on the written proposals that are submitted. In this case, the CDC used a two-step process: first reviewing the proposals then conducting agency presentations.
In August, Duffey and iXL made a combined presentation to the CDC team at iXL's office in Atlanta. The presentation focused on the agencies' high tech capabilities to produce and distribute the CDC's health information using vehicles like video and audio newscasts.
Attention-grabbing presentation elements include:
- A mock VNR that featured MMWR study findings on smoking;
- Web stream videos;
- Marketing ideas for positioning the CDC as the top information source for preventive health issues; and
- A mock hostage news story that reported Duffey and iXL were holding CDC executives hostage until the agencies were selected for the government contract. The footage showed the executives walking into the iXL office and a reporter giving "updates" on the negotiation.
Using a little humor, the last technique showed how quickly the two agencies could package a news story.
Pitch Tips
Although working with government agencies requires patience with bureaucracy, there are opportunities to use exciting audio, video and Internet technology to "think outside of the box," says Tannenblatt.
The challenge is in demonstrating your creative flair while retaining an integrity for the serious nature of the health information provided by the government agency.
He also suggests:
- Getting reporter feedback on possible VNR topics relevant to the government agency.
- Developing four or five 30-second B-roll video segments on key health topics.
- Meeting with state health agencies to understand their health information needs and to develop ways to localize health news.
- Demonstrating the agency's infrastructure and capabilities for packaging and distributing health information.
- Discussing your strategy for converting technical health information into compelling news story ideas.
(Duffey, Eric Tannenblatt, 404/266-2600; iXL, Julie Klick, 404/267-4096)
Duffey Communications
Headquarters: Atlanta
Founded: 1984
Revenues: $5 million
# Employees: 48
Healthcare Clients: Aetna, American Medical Response, Blue Cross Blue Shield, The Arthritis Foundation and Fertility Institute of New Orleans
Web site: http://www.duffey.com