Perhaps one of the most important lessons PR practitioners have gleaned from the Internet in recent years is that a Web site is at its most effective when treated as a
fundamental component of a multimedia campaign.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's campaign to boost awareness of the plight of America's uninsured is a case in point, including an integrated suite of advertising, earned
media, launch events – and a powerful Web site that would serve as the hub of all that outreach.
About 39 million Americans lack health coverage, and in Summer 2001, the Foundation set about putting the issue back on the national radar screen. Most opinion leaders,
especially influential policymakers in Washington, D.C., considered systemic reform of the healthcare system a moot point since previous attempts at reform have failed.
The Foundation would have to overcome this perception not by offering a solution to the problem (since there is so much controversy regarding a solution), but by presenting a
united front and demonstrating that there is widespread commitment to tackling this issue.
A coalition of 15 powerful organizations including the AFL-CIO, the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, had been formed the previous year to
address the problem. This group commissioned GMMB, a Washington-based PR firm to develop research-driven materials for the campaign that would target their key audience,
influential Washingtonians, as well as a resource kit with template materials that would allow partner organizations to customize the campaign for their own outreach efforts.
Getting the Site Right
The coalition of partners realized the campaign's Web site would serve as the informational core of the program and would have to be a comprehensive educational resource. If
they were to persuade policymakers that the issue was a critical one, the partner organizations would have to create a site with a rich trove of information and features.
The resulting site, http://www.coveringtheuninsured.org (designed by Net Campaign), includes an interactive summary of current legislative proposals,
fact sheets, a databank of personal stories straight from those who have suffered from lack of healthcare, a feature allowing other uninsured individuals to share their own
stories, daily news updates, links to a variety of partner organization Web sites and ways to get involved in the issue. "The Web site is designed to serve as a comprehensive,
one-stop shop for people interested in learning more," says Stuart Schear, senior communications officer for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
The coalition launched a media outreach program, using unique pairings of partner organizations to gain more attention for the issue (for example, the AFL-CIO and the Chamber
of Commerce worked together to reach reporters and editorial boards with the message that they were united in their belief in this cause, generating an immediate media hook). The
media launch included paid advertising in The Washington Post, along with a corresponding op-ed penned by the presidents of those two diverse organizations. The Foundation and its
partners released an audio news release, and a briefing was conducted before a full house at the National Press Club. Footage of the event along with pre-recorded footage of the
CEOs, was combined to create a VNR for broadcast stations around the country.
All the media outreach included the Web site as "the call to action," Schear says.
Results
The campaign was featured in key dailies like The Washington Post, The New York Times, The Los Angeles Times and USA Today, and the Web site received more than 2.6 million hits
in its first four months alone, with 100,000 first-time users. The site's high return rate indicates that it has become a valuable resource for information among target
audiences.
Most importantly, the site and the overall program have moved the needle among opinion leaders. A follow-up survey shows that 22 percent of D.C.-based opinion leaders consider
access to affordable health insurance the nation's top priority outside of national security. That number has shot up from 12 percent before the program was launched.
"We view the covertheuninsured.org site as a major component in a multi-faceted campaign," Schear says. "We believe ads, media and grassroots activity would be weaker without
the Web site, and we don't believe Web traffic would be the same without the media outreach. Having all the components together is ideal."
(Contact: Schear, [email protected])
Campaign Stats
Budget: Budget for this campaign is admittedly massive, with around $10 million allotted for paid advertising and other outreach, including the coveringtheuninsured.org Web
site, over two years. The web site comprised about $150,000 of that $10 million.
Timeframe: The campaign began in earnest in July 2001 and is ongoing.
The coveringtheuninsured.org Web site doesn't just serve as a resource for high profile leaders and healthcare activists. It has also become a fundamental organizational tool
for the partners behind the campaign. In 2003, the partners will sponsor a Cover the Uninsured week with 25 events in the largest media markets coast-to-coast. The coalition has
75 paid organizers on the ground working on events, with Presidents Carter and Ford serving as honorary co-chairs. The site includes a variety of information and tools for the
organizers as they customize events for their own local markets.
Editor's Note: This campaign received an Honorable Mention in the Web Campaign category of the PR NEWS 2002 Platinum PR Awards.