To influence upcoming Hepatitis C legislation, the American Liver Foundation (ALF) launched a controversial billboard campaign that helped to win a unanimous assembly vote in California and created a stir among patient advocacy groups.
The campaign, developed by Glass/McClure, an advertising firm in Sacramento, Calif., greets motorists who travel along San Diego's Interstate 5, a major freeway from the airport. The provocative billboard features a casket with accompanying copy that reads "This space reserved for the victims of Hepatitis C."
The billboard, which was up from early May through late June, generated at least 20 calls from Hepatitis C victims to both the agency and ALF, who were offended by the message.
The billboard's hard-hitting message also generated news coverage from four San Diego network TV stations.
That "shot-in-the-arm" effect is exactly what ALF intended to ignite dialogue about Hepatitis C and the need for increased awareness about the pending legislation, according to Meredith Saidel, account executive for Perry Communications, the Sacramento, Calif.-based agency that handled ALF's PR for the campaign.
Both Perry and ALF re-directed the anger of these callers into opportunities to tell them about the need to get proactive by writing letters to legislators.
The legislation, sponsored by Sen. Richard Polanco's (D-Los Angeles), will require the state's Department of Health Services to implement Hepatitis C education programs for the general public and healthcare professionals.
Hepatitis C virus is a blood-borne disease that attacks the liver and it is four times more prevalent than the virus that causes AIDS. It is estimated that 4 million Americans have it. Nearly 500,000 Californians are infected.
If the legislation continues to gain momentum, Gov. Pete Wilson (R) will be asked to sign it this fall.
Grabbing Local Media Attention
Prior to the billboard campaign, the Hepatitis C issue grabbed the public's ear when the federal government announced plans to notify the estimated 300,000 people who contracted the virus through blood transfusions received prior to 1992.
The issue also generated extensive national media coverage in March in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal when the National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced that Hepatitis C will triple its annual death rate among Americans to 24,000. The NIH is partnering with ALF to raise awareness of the virus and generate funds needed to develop a vaccine and ultimately a cure.
The California billboard campaign developed by Glass/McClure Advertising in Sacramento cost $10,000 (space and creative).
Perry's pitching strategy involved positioning ALF as a media information resource on what Hepatitis C is and the latest treatment options available, says Saidel.
ALF also landed coverage on a Los Angeles TV station's health news segment, which generated 250 calls for more information, according to Phyllis Borchardt, chapter director for ALF's San Diego chapter.
Opening Coalition Doors
There is a huge public information void for credible healthcare resources on Hepatitis C but the patient advocacy effort - especially on the Internet - is too fragmented and confusing, says Borchardt. A search for hepatitis C medical treatment generated more than four million "matches" according to recent Case Western Reserve University at MetroHealth Medical Center study in Cleveland, Ohio.
But "in-your-face" public awareness campaigns like the billboard effort are making inroads, says Borchardt, especially among HIV and hemophilia organizations.
So far, Perry Communications has worked on three major collaborative public awareness efforts in California, including:
- Working with Sen. Polanco's office on legislative public awareness efforts for letter writing campaigns and white papers.
- Raising awareness among legislators about the virus' impact in California by highlighting a study done by The California Center for Health Improvement, a non-profit health policy organization.
- Working with the California Broadcasters Association on a radio public service announcement campaign that is being aired throughout the state.
(Perry Communications, Meredith Saidel, 916/658-0144; Glass/McClure, John Taylor, 916/448-6956; ALF, Phyllis Borchardt, 619/291-5483)
Top Campaign Communicators
- Phyllis Borchardt, chapter director for San Diego's American Liver Foundation
- Meredith Saidel, account executive for Perry Communications Group, a PR firm in Sacramento, Calif.
- David George, creative director, and John Taylor, account executive of Glass/McClure Advertising, in Sacramento, Calif.