Case Studies

Campaign: “Healthy Babies”

Launch: January 2002

In the fall of 2001, Meridian was awarded a contract with The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development on an extremely worthwhile endeavor: to create a public information campaign to create an awareness of and to help educate a VERY targeted public about healthy lifestyle choices before and during pregnancy. The funding for this undertaking came from the tobacco settlement monies, and the campaign emphatically stressed DO NOT SMOKE, drink, or do drugs while you’re pregnant.

Meridian was provided with a list of 20 geographical target areas within the Commonwealth which had been identified as having lower average birth weights and other pregnancy-health issues.

With the help of The Matrix Group, we conducted focus groups across the state with members of our target audience to test our proposed campaign messages and media choices to deliver them.

We learned from the research that the target audience was very egocentric. In order to impact this group, the message would need to clearly relate to them as individuals. To do so, we learned that the key was to empower the target with affirmative messages. Convince them that it is within their power to do the right things to have healthy babies. Armed with this important information, a comprehensive communications plan was developed to put the message to work.

Research also confirmed what we already suspected: these individuals, many of them sexually active and some unwed teen mothers-to-be needed vital information on nutrition, abstaining from alcohol, tobacco and ‘recreational’ drugs during and after pregnancy and more.

To attract state-wide attention to the campaign, we planned and executed high profile media events in Lexington and Louisville featuring then Governor Patton, nationally known actor / producer Rob Reiner, chair of the “I Am Your Child Foundation”, a national organization dedicated to increasing awareness about early childhood development and physicians from the University of Kentucky and the University of Louisville medical schools. The state-wide media coverage received was extraordinary. Before the campaign ever began, it was heralded as ‘being badly needed’, across the state.

In order to maximize exposure for the “Healthy Babies” campaign, we developed several partnerships with industries and companies which recognized the need for this initiative, and which agreed to help with the distribution of information &/or materials. Partners included:

In addition to paid advertising and public relations efforts, concurrent local education seminars

were conducted in 20 communities chosen by birth statistics such as low birth weight and

number of pre-term births. Meridian and representatives from the Governor’s Office of Early

Childhood Development planned and conducted training sessions to provide information to local volunteers and help them identify opportunities to reach the campaign’s target audience.

“Healthy Babies” Campaign

Over 2 million campaign brochures were printed and distributed by Meridian.

Brochures were distributed through state health and welfare offices, family resource and care centers, county extension offices, public libraries, adult education centers, community early childhood councils and retailers in target areas.

The “Healthy Babies” campaign WORKED. The impact was profound- not only on those who were targeted, but also on the statewide media community which recognized the value and necessity of the effort, and which responded to requests for public service help in a BIG way.

Research conducted at the completion of the campaign showed that 64% of respondents within our target recalled an educational campaign about having a healthy baby.

Out of that number, 28% made specific reference to the “Healthy Babies” campaign.

Additionally, the web site generated a unique visitor average of more than 1500 hits/month. The most popular page on the site was its “During Pregnancy” section that provided important information about prenatal care.

As a ‘postscript’- the campaign has recently been resurrected with focus on the no smoking message - as $250,000 worth of additional funding was ‘found’, the media messages reappeared on television stations state-wide.

“Healthy Babies” Campaign

Generated more than $600,000 in bonus media placements.

Ongoing media ‘hits’ in the Lexington Herald-Leader, Louisville Courier-Journal and on all major TV affiliates in both markets.

Facilitated interviews on radio stations and public affairs programs throughout the state for The Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development’s Executive Director, Dr. Kim Townley.

With our various UK-sponsored campaigns, Meridian was given information by the client—in very distilled form... “the call center received a gazillion calls on this last week”, or “we’re hearing good buzz from referring physicians”, or “the doc we featured is getting a lot of comment.” Vague?

Absolutely.

With our “Healthy Babies” campaign developed for the Governor’s Office of Early Childhood Development, follow-up research was included in the plan and through Meridian was conducted by The Matrix Group based in Lexington. An overview of those results are in the preceding pages.

Perhaps it is important to note, that the campaign has been resurrected and executed again and again—in 2004, 2005, and 2006. Obviously, it continues to deliver a better than expected ROI.

Dr. Kim Townley, who was our primary client, and is still in state government, is more than willing to speak with anyone from LFUCG as to the overwhelming success of this award-winning and effective initiative.

Due to budgetary constraints, the advertising effectiveness has not been quantified by traditional research methods. However, the clients report a measurable increase in call center volume, patient referrals and patient visits. Additionally, they have reported significant gains in practice income and patient retention.