In 1999, the American Association of Orthopedic Surgeons' newly created PR department conducted baseline research to uncover top misconceptions about orthopedic surgeons - and,
thereby, identify its top communications goals. The research showed that while orthopedic surgeons tended to garner respect for their technical knowledge and surgical skills,
"they didn't come out very high on being warm, compassionate, caring doctors," says Sandy Gordon, director of public and media relations for the AAOS. Gordon and her team began
brainstorming ideas to re-position AAOS's 24,000 members as doctors who care.
eMotion Pictures
The team first launched a community service campaign with orthopedic surgeons building safe, handicap-accessible playgrounds in the host cities of their annual association
meeting. But just as that campaign was getting off the ground, Gordon had an even bigger idea. "I was sitting in my first board meeting, and my mind was wandering. I was trying to
think how you show what an orthopedic surgeon does to change a patient's quality of life, and I started thinking about art." Gordon proposed to management that the PR team
develop an art show featuring work from orthopedic surgeons and patients that expresses the feelings behind orthopedic conditions and treatment. "At first, everybody thought it
was a little crazy," Gordon says, but eventually she persuaded the association's senior management to get behind the idea.
This unorthodox campaign began with massive outreach to patients and surgeons for artwork. The AAOS team put the word out via art, health and medical media, as well as
organizations specializing in arthritis, osteoporosis, children's disabilities and other orthopedic conditions. The response was overwhelming - entries poured in from 17 countries
and 43 states. The artwork included pieces on healing, fear, rehabilitation, anger, body image, freedom and hope.
Physicians sent artwork that expressed their compassion for patients, frustration with failed procedures and their awe for the healing arts. "We thought we'd have a show with
50 pieces of art," Gordon says. Instead, "we got over 1,400 pieces, and the day we juried, I thought the judges were going to kill me," she laughs.
The jury of art professionals eventually selected 167 works from 132 artists to display in the show, which opened at the Herbst International Exhibition Hall in San Francisco
in February of 2001.
The PR team launched another major media relations effort with the opening of the show, going out to TV, radio, Web and print media. Reporters interviewed physicians, artists
and patients about orthopedic conditions as well as the artwork, giving the AAOS team the opportunity to educate the public about orthopedic conditions like arthritis, spinal
injuries and osteoporosis, while showcasing its caring member doctors.
Coverage of the show was so extensive that the association received an unexpected request - the Millennium Arts Center in Washington, DC wanted to display the exhibit in April.
Although the team had only planned (and budgeted for) the show in San Francisco, corporate sponsors including Wyeth-Ayerst Laboratories leapt at the opportunity to fund the road
show.
Next, Abbott Laboratories, Zimmer Inc., Merck and Sanofi-Synthelabo came on board to sponsor an exhibit scheduled to open Sept. 22 at the Chicago Cultural Center. Corporate
sponsors are also on board for an exhibit in the lobby of the United Nations building in New York, and the show will make its first foray into international art circles with an
exhibit in the U.K. in 2002.
Artful Results
The art show may have been "a little crazy," but the results were truly unusual, propelling a healthcare campaign into the realm of emotional connection with the media and
consumers. More than 100,000 people viewed the show during the San Francisco and Washington exhibits, and media impressions hit the 11 million mark.
"It was a success beyond our wildest expectations," Gordon says, "but that came with a huge amount of work and some costs that weren't expected." While Gordon wouldn't change
the campaign now, she says if she had realized how much effort the campaign would require at its inception, she would have planned and budgeted differently. "We had no concept of
how many people this resonated with. We weren't prepared budget-wise and staff-wise." The campaign required massive logistical efforts, especially when the show was on the road,
requiring curators and vendors for everything from shipping to cleaning. Nonetheless, she is thrilled with the response, especially from her most important audience: "The doctors
loved it - members from all over the world have written me about it."
Campaign Stats
Timeframe: Call for entries began in April, 2000; first exhibit opened
in February, 2001, and the AAOS is in talks for 2003 exhibits.
Budget: the San Francisco show totaled $250,000 (including call for
entries and exhibit logistics). The Washington, DC show totaled between $65,000
and $75,000; budgets for the Chicago and United Nations exhibits are about $100,000
each.
Sponsors: "We only had the budget to fund the show in San Francisco,"
Gordon says. "Anyplace else it went, if I could raise the money, it could go.
It hasn't been difficult to raise the money to cover each exhibit."
Sponsors include:
Abbott Laboratories
Merck
Medtronic Sofamor Danek
Organon
Sanofi-Synthelabo
Smith and Nephew
Wyeth-Ayerst
Zimmer Inc.
Team:
Lawrence Rosenthal, COO
Sandra Gordon, Director of Public and Media Relations
Teena Austin, Manager of Public Relations
Addy Kujawa, Assistant, Public and Media Relations
(Contact: Sandra Gordon, AAOS, 847/384-4030, [email protected])