WestGlen Broadcaster: Late Summer 2005
Volume 3, Issue 2
As the end of summer approaches and broadcast PR activity heats up, WestGlen has identified a trend toward the increased use of public service announcements (PSAs) in many PR campaigns. This is especially true for medical and pharmaceutical PR due to the recent debate over direct-to-consumer advertising.
In this edition of The WestGlen Broadcaster:
Ivette Achong, a veteran PSA strategist and Director of PSA Services at WestGlen shares her insight on the current environment for public service announcements and offers advice for achieving success in Harnessing the Power of Public Service Announcements.
Ed Lamoureaux, Senior Vice President of WestGlen and veteran of the broadcast PR industry, writes Companies Turn to PSAs to Remedy DTC Advertising, addressing the debate over direct-to-consumer (DTC) advertising currently affecting healthcare marketing and PR.
And on a separate note, Phil Rabin, Vice President and Regional Sales Manager for WestGlen's Washington, DC office, invites locals to Attend "Summer School" on August 16th To Learn How to Reach Hispanic Audiences.
As always, we value your feedback. Please let us know if there are any topics you would like to see in an upcoming issue of The WestGlen Broadcaster, and we'll be happy to include them. And if you have any questions or comments for the authors of our pieces, just click on their links below.
Harnessing the Power of Public Service Announcements (PSAs)
By Ivette Achong, Director of PSA Services
For years, public service announcements (PSAs) have helped to create visibility for non-profit organizations and generate awareness of the causes they represent. Whether it is Smokey the Bear warning us against starting forest fires, or the American Red Cross enlisting support after a hurricane or other disaster, PSAs not only serve to inform and educate us, but they also help influence behavior by providing a specific call-to-action (e.g. visit a website, make a donation, call an 800# for information).
Unlike other broadcast PR tactics, such as video news releases (VNRs) or satellite media tours (SMTs), PSAs are run in their entirety since they are broadcast when a station does not sell commercial air time. They also have a longer shelf-life than VNRs since they are typically used by stations for several months and even up to a year in certain cases. This not only ensures greater control over the message but it can lead to a tremendous amount of ongoing coverage for the campaign in the form of airings, impressions and equivalent ad values.
For many non-profits and clients, the ad values hold particular importance as they are reported as in-kind donations from the media or used as a benchmark to measure the return on investment (ROI) for a campaign. For example, a recent TV public service announcement distributed by WestGlen in English and Spanish focusing on chickenpox awareness on behalf of the National Partnership for Immunization, obtained very strong coverage nationwide, with both impressions and ad values in the millions. Placements were also secured on ABC Network, Univision Network and the popular Wal-Mart TV network that airs in stores across the country.
Many clients are also benefiting from the power of PSAs across all media - TV, radio, print and Internet. In recent years, the national non-profit organization Paralyzed Veterans of America has received hundreds of thousands of airings for its PSAs, major national and local market coverage, and millions in donated ad time and space by targeting broadcast and print outlets, as well as major Internet portals and specialized websites.
The most interesting trend that WestGlen has seen over the past few years is the upswing in the number of corporations turning to PSAs as an alternative to typical broadcast PR strategies such as VNRs and SMTs. By teaming up with non-profit organizations with 501 (c) (3) status, corporations are able to promote causes and programs that align with their business interests. In these cases, everyone benefits. The public is educated about issues and causes that need donations and/or ongoing support; non-profit organizations get funding to help promote their message and drive donations; and corporations promote public awareness of issues that are tied to their business interests or corporate philanthropic efforts.
As the power of PSAs continues to grow, there are many ways in which WestGlen can help make your campaign a success. For more information on PSAs, visit www.westglen.com or call your local WestGlen office.
Companies Turn to PSAs to Remedy DTC Advertising
By Ed Lamoureaux, Senior Vice President
The landscape of healthcare advertising and public relations is undergoing a seismic shift due to the recent debate over direct-to-consumer (DTC) prescription drug advertising. In July, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn) called for a voluntary moratorium on DTC advertising for two years after a drug reaches the market.
On August 2nd, in a major policy speech before the American Legislative Exchange Council's 32nd Annual Meeting, PhRMA President and CEO Billy Tauzin announced the pharmaceutical industry's "Guiding Principles" on direct-to-consumer advertising.
One of the key elements of those guiding principles states that companies should spend an appropriate amount of time to educate health professionals about new medicines or new therapeutic indications before beginning the first direct-to-consumer advertising campaign.
This has resulted in companies turning to public service announcements (PSAs) and PR efforts aimed at educating appropriate audiences and encouraging communication between healthcare providers and consumers. Many public relations agencies have seen a significant increase in budgets as drug makers look to reallocate a portion of the $4.1 billion spent on DTC advertising last year.
As reported in Ivette Achong's article in this edition of The WestGlen Broadcaster (see above), PSAs designed for television, radio, print and the Internet are already enjoying more popularity and success than ever before. With the pharmaceutical industry now also turning to PSAs, the PR industry should see a substantial increase in activity, opportunity and profits.
Attend "Summer School" on August 16th To Learn How to Reach Hispanic Audiences
By Phil Rabin, Vice President, Regional Sales Manager
One of the major trends in communications is creating material targeted to special audiences. On Tuesday, August 16th, from noon until 2 p.m., WestGlen will hold its first Summer School Seminar at the George Washington University Club in Washington, DC. The topic: Understanding and Reaching the Latino Market.
Join representatives of West Glen Communications, Maya Advertising & Communications and Univision to learn how to reach this growing audience. For more info or to sign up for this free seminar, contact Debbie Friez or Phil Rabin at 202-429-2018 or click on the link above. Space is very limited, so register today.
Worth Noting @ WestGlen
WestGlen Tapped to Assist in Broadcasting Anti-Terrorism Message
After the tragic recent bombings in London, WestGlen quickly produced and distributed a public service announcement on behalf of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) to denounce acts of terrorism. The 30-second public service spot, "Not in the Name of Islam," was premiered at a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. The PSA features two American Muslim women and religious leader Imam Johari Abdul-Malik stating: "As Muslims, we want to state clearly that those who commit acts of terror in the name of Islam are betraying the teachings of the Koran and the Prophet Mohammed." In the short period of time since the PSA's release by satellite, it has gained more than 2.2 million impressions.
WestGlen adds two veteran producers
Amy Tessler produced VNRs for TV Interactive and the Information Television Network in Boca Raton, Florida and has also produced for Columbia Tri-Star and Universal Television. Most recently she worked on a 12 part documentary series for ABC's Family Channel called "Back from Iraq." atessler@westglen.com
Laura DeAngelis is the third News 12 alum to join WestGlen. Before her stint as a reporter and anchor at News 12 Connecticut, Laura also worked for News 12 Long Island and WFLI in Lafayette, IN. Laura has been nominated for Emmy awards and received a first place award for In-Depth Reporting from the Connecticut Society of Professional Journalists. ldeangelis@westglen.com
Other WestGlen staffing and changes this summer
New hires: WestGlen welcomes Emely Rivas as Sales Coordinator, Susan Ludena as Associate Radio Project Manager, Racquel Williams as Junior Broadcast Associate, and Natalie Quinones as Administrative Support. Promoted: Flynn Hundhausen to Associate Producer. New Address: Our San Francisco office headed by Julie Ellman has moved to San Mateo (1840 Gateway Drive, Suite 200). Phone remains the same at 650-579-7811.