Pro bono campaigns can give healthcare agency professionals a philanthropic high, where the biggest payoffs are in "doing the right thing" for an industry-related cause and building a network of industry professionals who are committed to making a difference. And, successful pro bono campaigns can also serve as case studies for new business pitches and presentations.
The key to making these efforts fly is to be "tactful about tooting your horn while raising the visibility of the cause," says Bob Brown, VP and creative director at Baxter Gurian & Mazzei (BGM), a Los Angeles-based agency that recently launched a pro bono effort for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric Aids Foundation (EGPAF) in Santa Monica.
Strategic Planning Still a Must
Even though pro bono campaigns don't generate billings, they shouldn't be last-minute, minimum-effort projects either (consisting of a few posters and brochures). Treating these campaigns much like you would a paying client's assignment provides excellent learning for PR/marketing pros on cause-marketing and a refreshing departure from some of the humdrum aspects of client business assignments.
When BGM took on the EGPAF assignment last January, the agency saw it as an exciting opportunity to invest its multi-department resources into a far-reaching professional/consumer campaign for a provocative cause: creating a receptive environment for pregnant women to request and receive HIV testing. Unlike its inconsistent work with the local March of Dimes (which involved several other agencies), BGM was able to launch a concerted, strategic campaign that reached 100% of its target of physicians, according to Brown. Its physician-focused campaign was picked up by all of the print vehicles it pitched, generating 1.2 million exposures in the medical community. Ten publications - that targeted OBGyns, family practitioners and general practice physicians - ran the compelling ads that showed a diverse group of women and asked "Which patient should you test for HIV?"
"BGM's print campaign was so consumer-friendly, we used its approach for our radio and outdoor efforts," says Cheryl Cook, EGPAF's communications manager. Public service TV commercials aimed at consumers were produced by The Walt Disney Company and are now running on major networks.
If EGPAF were a paying client, Brown concedes that the campaign would cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to execute, given the amount of time and manpower the agency has invested in the campaign. "But when people hear about the cause, they go that extra mile for nothing (monetarily). EGPAF allows us to see the good side of the industry."
Twenty-five of BGM's 40 staffers (creative, production, media and accounting departments) work on the EGPAF campaign. When asked how the staff makes the time for such an involved effort, Brown says that they "make the time," working after hours and some weekends. "I can't stop thinking about it, we're constantly coming up with new ideas."
Children's Cause Hits Home
For many agency pros, there's a personal connection to the pro bono cause at hand. When Ad-Tech Communications became aware of the Think First Foundation through one of its clients, the Hollywood, Fla.-based agency made a three-year commitment to the organization's pediatric injury prevention cause. "It's scary what kids don't know about safety," says Al Buscaino, Ad-Tech's director of program development and father of three children.
Last year, Ad-Tech expanded Think First's message to its consumer and professional targets. On the consumer side the campaign reached more than one million children and on the professional side, it reached thousands of physicians nationwide. "Ad-Tech is geared to work with emerging entities and Think First was in an aggressive growth mode when they came to us." Because of this client philosophy, Ad-Tech has turned down pro bono work with high profile organizations like the American Heart Association because the opportunity for major expansion wasn't there.
Ad-Tech produced two print PSAs for Think First that have appeared in mass-reach consumer mainstream magazines like Prevention, Time and Parents magazines and highly targeted medical journals like the New England Journal of Medicine and Orthopedics magazine.
The series of black-and-white and color ads depict children in "typical" play activities where they could be at risk for injury. The agency also developed a fun, interactive Web site (http://www.thinkfirst.com) that targets children, parents and teachers.
"Our access to Ad-Tech is unlimited and our relationship with them is used as a reference point for developing relationships with other companies," says Fred Grubbe, Think First's executive director. As a result of Ad-Tech's work and credibility, vendors and donors are more receptive to Think First.
Although Ad-Tech doesn't use its pro bono work to drum up new business, (that would be a "cheap trick,") says Buscaino, it has received an award of excellence by the Rx Club Show last winter, a professional trade organization that recognizes pro bono campaigns in the industry.
(BGM, Bob Brown, 310/914-5050; EGPAF, Cheryl Cook, 310/395-9051; Ad-Tech, 954/923-1600; Think First, Fred Grubbe, 1-800-THINK56)
Pro Bono Payoffs
Pro Bono campaigns can be excellent opportunities to give back to the industry, but there are other compelling perks, according to Bob Brown, VP and creative director of Baxter Gurian & Mazzei (Los Angeles) and Al Buscaino, director of program development at Ad-Tech Communications (Hollywood, Fla.). These campaigns can be used as ideal:
- case studies for client presentations on problem-solving techniques, breadth of agency resources, and cause-related marketing.
- "feel good" initiatives for agency pros to support and make a difference in the industry.
- "door-opening" network opportunities with vendors and other organizations that could benefit from being affiliated with the cause.