Case Study: Time to Fight Back - LeAnne Morman, APR

Colon cancer can be a silent killer with little to no symptoms until later stages when it is much more difficult to treat. Many individuals put lifesaving colon cancer screening on pause during the COVID-19 pandemic. With so many missed colonoscopies, and higher incidence and mortality rates of colon cancer in Nebraska, the push for awareness in 2021 is critical. The Nebraska Cancer Coalition (NC2), a statewide coalition made up of individuals and organizations, partnered with nonprofit organization Great Plains Colon Cancer Task Force (GPCCTF), and together, the team identified Colon Cancer Awareness Month (March) and Dress in Blue Day (March 5) as a time to fight back against colon cancer through the execution of a robust communication campaign. The overall goal was to heighten awareness of colon cancer dangers and prevention, as well as the importance of resuming or beginning regular colon cancer screening. The lead firm on the project, ASI Consulting, engaged PR consultant LeAnne Morman to develop and execute an effective PR strategy to complement the campaign’s overall strategy and marketing plan, which was created by ASI Consulting in collaboration with NC2 and GPCCTF.

Research In addition to the information already known by NC2, GPCCTF and ASI Consulting about colon cancer symptoms, risk factors, screening rates and incidences of the disease, the following key statistics helped inform the rationale for the campaign’s PR strategy, key audience and tactics:

92% of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising. (Nielsen)
Pitches related to the pandemic and its effects are most relevant to journalists. (Cision, 2020 State of the Media Report)
There were an estimated 1.7 million missed colonoscopies in 2020. (Colon Cancer Coalition)
More people are engaged online during the COVID-19 pandemic, with Facebook holding strong as the largest social media network. Facebook's user base trends older, with 79% of 30–49-year-olds and 68% of 50–64-year-olds using Facebook. (Sprout Social)

This secondary research provided a deeper understanding into the current state of the news media and social media, influence of peers and current colonoscopy testing rates.

Planning With data showing heightened risk and incidences of colon cancer for individuals 50 and older, the target audience for the campaign was identified as Nebraskans aged 50 and older in both urban (Omaha/Lincoln) and rural areas (central and western Nebraska).

The “Time to Fight Back” colon cancer awareness campaign’s objective was to inform individuals in several Nebraska communities, including Omaha and Lincoln, of the importance of regular colon cancer screening; the availability of free, at-home test kits; and increase screening queries and appointments. The overall PR strategy was to execute timely, statewide earned media and influencer tactics that could increase awareness during the campaign. PR strategy and tactics complemented the Time to Fight Back marketing campaign executed by ASI Consulting and leveraged the NC2 network of health care providers to aid with news media interviews, participate in the Dress in Blue campaign and share word-of-mouth details on the campaign and how to participate.

In addition to planning and preparing key messaging, news media materials and outreach timelines in coordination with ASI Consulting, PR consultant LeAnne Morman identified several key influencers and media markets to target with a request to dress in blue for Colon Cancer Awareness Month and Dress in Blue Day. Influencers included news media members in Omaha, Norfolk, North Platte, Grand Island, Kearney and more. As an added layer of increased visibility, organizers sought to request as many buildings and landmarks as possible to go “blue” for Dress in Blue Day and Colon Cancer Awareness Month, including Omaha’s skyline staple, the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. The team also sought official designations for Colon Cancer Awareness Month from the City of Omaha and State of Nebraska. A webinar outlining the campaign strategy and tactics was presented to several Nebraska health-care participants to encourage participation in Dress in Blue Day, as well as the earned media aspects of the campaign.

Additionally, ASI Consulting created an online hub, fightbackne.org, where health care leaders could easily order campaign t-shirts for Dress in Blue Day. The website also hosted free, downloadable content to encourage social media and PR participation in the campaign.

Execution The following tactics were executed to support the campaign’s PR objective and strategy:

Created a media and social media toolkit for news organizations and influencers. The toolkit included a news release, fact sheet, suggested social media language, graphics and t-shirt (for influencers).
Determined a list of news media and influencers that could be open to interviews and social media content on colon cancer awareness.
Worked with GPCCTF, as well as NC2’s health care partners to engage in and coordinate earned media outreach. This helped in adding spokespeople to the pool of available experts in various areas, and in turn, partners received access to the media toolkit materials to repurpose for their own organization’s use at fightbackne.org.
Pitched to news media and influencers on several occasions throughout February and March to ensure regular communication and flow of information leading up to and following Dress in Blue Day.
Researched lighting capabilities and requested area hospitals, landmarks, bridges and businesses go blue for colon cancer awareness during Dress in Blue Day and/or the month of March.
Requested and secured Cancer Awareness Month designation and decrees from the City of Omaha and State of Nebraska.
Worked alongside Dr. Alan Thorson, NC2 president, to pen an opinion editorial on the importance of colon cancer awareness and action in Nebraska and shared with Nebraska’s largest newspaper, the Omaha World-Herald.
Tracked coverage results for immediate sharing on social media to work in cohesion with ASI Consulting for the social media and marketing side of the campaign.

Evaluation

Nebraska Cancer Coalition’s outreach resulted in 54 total earned online, broadcast and social media placements reaching an estimated audience of 16.6 million. News coverage and influencers reached an audience statewide.
A post-campaign survey of health care partners included feedback from several organizations who saw a marked increase in screening appointments, as well as inquiries for testing kits and screening.
587 FOBT test kits were requested online by members of the public and more than 1,000 Time to Fight Back t-shirts were ordered by partners.
The opinion editorial was published by the largest newspaper in Nebraska, the Omaha World-Herald.
The State of Nebraska and City of Omaha officially proclaimed March as Colon Cancer Awareness Month.
There were a total of eight buildings/bridges that were lit blue to mark the occasion, including PayPal and Nebraska Medicine in Omaha and hospitals in Grand Island and Lincoln.
There were more than a dozen social media posts from influencers and partner organizations.
All Dress in Blue social media posts using the campaign hashtags of #DressinBlueNE and #FightBackNE were shared by NC2 and GPCCTF further extending engagement.