The death earlier this year of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve
Bechler cast a white-hot spotlight on the dietary supplement
Ephedra, which Bechler had been taking at the time of his death.
Coroner Dr. Joshua Perper not only found Ephedra partly to blame
for Bechler's sudden death, but went on to say that no athlete
should take it. But on closer examination, other factors were
involved. Bechler was overweight and most likely took three ephedra
pills on an empty stomach, which could be considered an excessive
dose. Now, the Food and Drug Administration has started to take
steps that could limit -- if not stop -- use of Ephedra, which is
sold over the counter. "Ephedra should belong in all future
textbooks on PR because this is as classic case where perception
has driven public policy," says Colburn Akers, managing partner of
The Aker Partners Inc., a marketing communications and PR firm
which represents Ephedra manufacturers. Below is a plan that Aker
Partners has implemented since it was hired by the Ephedra industry
three years ago. But the material could easily apply to any company
marketing dietary supplements or food products that can be
considered controversial.
PR Strategy/Tactics:
- Launch a public education campaign providing scientific and
factual information to counter speculation being reported almost on
a daily basis. - Develop a single source for media, the general public, public
policy officials and health care professionals to get reliable,
up-to-date and balanced information about ephedra. - Unify the industry with a central source acting as industry
spokesperson for media interviews and public education.
Results:
- Created and continue to manage the industry's first alliance of
responsible manufacturers and distributors of ephedra dietary
supplements organized as the Ephedra Education Council (EEC). - Launched an issue-oriented Web site, http://www.ephedrafacts.com, for
the EEC, including strategies for development, the writing/creating
of related graphics and text, and promotion of the Web site. Two
years later, Aker undertook an effort to redesign and redevelop the
site, which now gets more than 450 hits a day. - Scheduled two EEC news conferences immediately after assuming
the account that resulted in media coverage about industry
initiatives in The Wall Street Journal; Reuters Health; Associated
Press and USA Today. Media events are still pursued in response to
breaking news coverage. For example, in response to the Steve
Bechler tragedy, and the recent Federal government announcement
about ephedra regulations, Aker scheduled three separate media
teleconferences. As a result of these media efforts, more than 40
media participated in each media teleconference, including The New
York Times, Los Angeles Times, Time, and the Associated Press. The
Ephedra Education Council was used as the primary source for
industry reaction and information about the safety and benefits of
ephedra dietary supplements. More than 50 articles appeared where
the EEC was mentioned.
Lessons Learned:
1 Respond quickly and effectively. Repetition is the enemy.
Don't wait for days, let alone years, to correct the errors, and
don't hold back the reserves when the fate of a product category is
at stake.
2 Fight junk science with credible, scientific research and
respected experts. Given the choice, media will prefer
emotionalism. Make it a difficult choice for them.
3 Counter unproven claims from "victims" with proven, claims
from healthy consumers. When millions of consumers use a product
safely, let them take the offense.
4 Add third party, independent spokespersons when possible to
communicate your industry's messages. The credibility of your
messages increases with media when independent sources are
utilized.
5 Balance risk with benefits. The media would prefer to focus
only on risks, but today's consumers are smart enough to accept it
is really a personal risk versus benefit decision. For example, the
risk of heart failure for over-weight women is hundreds of times
greater than the alleged side effects of ephedra.
6 Work closely with legislative/regulatory experts to ensure
that key industry messages are communicated to federal, state, and
local elected officials and government agencies.
Contact: Colburn Aker, managing partner of The Aker Partners
Inc. (http://www.akerpartners.com),
202.789.2424 or [email protected].