Healthcare video news releases (VNRs) are a hot commodity for newsrooms with meaner and leaner staffs trying to meet the increasing viewer demand for news of medical breakthroughs, trends and developments. Two recent surveys by VNR services companies bear this out. Healthcare topics occupied six of Medialink's Top 20 Video News Releases of 1998 and 91 percent of newsrooms said they were most likely to air a health-related VNR or satellite media tour over any other categories, according to a report by D S Simon Productions.
"Health news has universal impact that cuts across economic lines," says Doug S. Simon of D S Simon in New York. While healthcare VNRs and B-roll videos have a great shot at getting air time, those who have the competitive edge provide newsrooms with:
- Unique, high-quality video footage that a newsroom can't easily create like behind-the-scenes shots of labs, surgical procedures and compelling animation;
- Patient profiles, particularly involving those in clinical trials, survivor stories and medical breakthroughs;
- Credible spokespeople - both nationally and in key local markets; and
- Exclusive B-roll (no narrated VNR package) only when the story is self-evident and the visuals tell the complete story, such as surgical procedures.
Untapped Opportunities
Deep-pocketed pharmaceutical companies dominate VNR-based health news because they can easily afford the cost of producing and distributing these video press releases, which start at $17,000. News of FDA-approved drugs and clinical trials accounted for three of the six health-related VNRs on Medialink's Top 20 ranking.
Although the media has a voracious appetite for news about pharmaceutical breakthroughs, newsrooms also are looking for more lifestyle-oriented health news on topics like stress management and tips on parenting skills, says Mary C. Buhay, VP of U.S. sales for Medialink. Provider organizations are in a dynamic position to fill this news void with studies and medical experts.
While cost is a major factor in hospitals and biotech companies not launching VNR campaigns, there are some viable ways to keep the cost to a minimum. As a hospital, clinical trials provide exciting VNR partnering opportunities with pharmaceutical companies, who may be willing to underwrite some or all of the costs, says Simon.
Hospitals can bring much needed credibility to a VNR clinical trial project through patient and physician participation (within FDA parameters).
Also, if your hospital has well-known medical experts, they can be invaluable third-party spokespeople for VNR projects. Their objective participation on hot topics like diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease can generate local and national exposure for the hospital at no cost.
Captivating B-roll
Shooting B-roll video is an efficient way to generate national and international exposure when you've got a strong visual story to tell. Jewish Hospital (JH) in Louisville, Ky., is using this approach to spread the news about the nation's first successful hand transplant surgery on Matthew Scott, performed last month. The PR team, led by Kimberly Freeman, started planning for this surgical milestone event a year ago.
Using its in-house video resources, JH captured powerful video footage of Scott before the surgery at his Abescon, N.J., home and carefully orchestrated shots of the surgery that took more than 15 hours as well as interviews with the key surgeons.
So far, the PR team has distributed six B-roll videos to newsrooms in the U.S. and internationally using Medialink. The campaign, which is still in full swing, has generated more than 104 million viewers from the satellite feeds.
This high-profile visibility positions JH as a premiere research facility, drawing interest from other top-notch medical professionals, says Freeman. And once all of the media excitement subsides, the PR team will have tangible results in the form of viewership reports that will quantify the impressive reach of the campaign.
This will go a long way toward proving what PR can achieve with upper management, says Freeman.
(Medialink, Mary C. Buhay, 212/682-8300; D S Simon, Doug S. Simon, 212/727-7770; JH, Kimberly Freeman, 502/561-5447)
Top Healthcare VNRs
Healthcare topics dominate the most-viewed VNRs produced or distributed by Medialink, commanding six rankings on its Top 20 Video News Releases of 1998. The annual ranking was announced earlier this month.
Healthcare VNRs that earned top media play are:
- Hoffman-LaRoche's GS4104 flu pill, produced by Edelman Public Relations, which reported the successful study results of the first pill to treat all common strains of the flu. Reach: 146 million viewers through 1,242 station airings.
- ProBio America's first reproducible cloning of a mammal from adult cells, supported by a Noonan/Russo PR campaign. Reach: 115 million viewers through 556 airings.
- The Roslin Institute's cloning work involving Dolly, the cloned sheep that gave birth to a lamb. Reach: 200 million viewers internationally, 87 million in the U.S.
- Knoll Pharmaceuticals' launch of Meridia, the obesity drug, produced by Fleishman-Hillard. Reach: 66 million viewers through 529 airings.
- VaxGen's AIDSVAX vaccine that received FDA permission to begin Phase III clinical trials, produced by Sitrick and Comp. Reach: 49 million through 801 airings.
- Aviron's new flu vaccine effective for childhood ear infections, produced by Fleishman-Hillard. Reach: 49 million viewers through 643 airings.
Source: Medialink