2009 PR People Awards: PR Professional of the Year (Nonprofit/Association)

Megan Lozito, Senior Communications Manager, American Heart Association

Megan Lozito understands that sound public relations revolves around the dialogue established between the consumer and the brand. By driving powerful content and resounding calls for action, Lozito put her doctrines to work as she led the Go Red For Women initiative, which helps shed light on heart disease in women.

“I believe you must clearly understand your audience — what makes them tick — in order to craft relevant and valuable messages they will find meaningful,” she says. “With Go Red For Women, we conduct primary and secondary research to understand what women need and want from the American Heart Association. Our goal is not only to communicate with these women through traditional media, but to find highly engaging ways to spark their passion and keep them fully involved with the cause on a year-round basis.”

Human Element

In order to deliver more than 1.8 billion total impressions for the 2008 campaign, Lozito encouraged a personal touch. She spearheaded the campaign to bring the Go Red For Women—Untold Stories of the Heart documentary to NBC and its online and offline channels. Additionally, she signed celebrity Marie Osmond as the campaign spokesperson. As the daughter of a mother and grandmother who died of heart disease, Osmond was a smart choice. One of Lozito’s most innovative moves came during the casting of the documentary, for which she chose diverse and nontraditional stories.

Driving Force

“I was once advised to think of PR as any other business function within a company,” Lozito says. “As public relations practitioners, we have to deliver a clear ROI that drives the mission and business objectives of our organizations and clients.” ■

Honorable Mentions

Aun reached millions of people around the globe during Earth Hour, an initiative that urged people and businesses to turn off unnecessary lights for one hour.

In a major streamlining effort at Kaiser, Lofgren integrated PR, stakeholder management, online and social media and corporate communications into one front.

Johnson’s stamp on pharmaceutical industry perception includes public affairs programs and prescription assistance initiatives, all the while putting patients first.

December 7, 2009