Campaign: Bionic Woman Media Campaign
Winner: Edelman & The Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago
While current statistics say survival rates of American soldiers injured in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars have increased by 15% over past wars, there is a dark side to the
positive news: This trend is matched by that of an increase in the number of vets returning home with upper limb amputations. Faced with this dichotomy, the Rehabilitation
Institute of Chicago (RIC), with the help of Edelman, wanted to publicize a hopeful option for these wounded vets: RIC's team of leading rehabilitation experts, coupled with its
proprietary Bionic Arm technology.
A Compelling Story
The Bionic Arm is by all counts newsworthy in and of itself--it is neuro-controlled, which allows the amputee to move the prosthesis just by thinking about it. However,
positioning the technology would require a targeted communications strategy that told a compelling story.
The team found this compelling story in Claudia Mitchell, the first female recipient of the Bionic Arm. She signed on to be the face of the campaign - the "Bionic Woman" - but
there were still huge challenges to be overcome. Differentiating Mitchell's experience to targeted media would be key; otherwise, both the trend of an increase in amputees and the
potential offered by Bionic Arm technology would be muted.
Fusing Art & Science
The communications team developed an airtight strategy that leveraged Mitchell's story while lending credibility to the Bionic Arm technology via media messages that
intertwined Mitchell's story with the science behind the Bionic Arm technology. This gave the story multiple layers, lending itself to local, national and international coverage;
two press briefings to introduce the world's first Bionic Woman to the media; and post-event interviews with Mitchell, as well as the head RIC researchers.
A Round of Applause
Thanks to the laser-targeted media outreach in September 2006, as well as the team's ability to leverage the human element of the campaign, the Bionic Woman initiative scored
coverage worldwide. Plus, RIC has since raised over $1 million to support future research.