The ACR will Effectively Communicate and Advance the Identity of the Organization and Rheumatology Professionals to Internal and External Constituencies.
ACR Launches its First Public Relations Campaign
If you have just 10 minutes to meet with your lawmakers, an insurance company, another physician, or any other person or group that influences your rheumatology research or practice, you don't want spend eight of the 10 minutes explaining who you are, why what you do is valuable, and why they should take your issues seriously.
In an ideal world, these groups would already 'get it,' and you could focus your conversations on specific issues that will advance rheumatology.
To help foster that level of understanding and value in rheumatology, the ACR is using public relations to influence the influencers of the sub-specialty (e.g., national legislators and policymakers, administration officials, advocacy leaders and physician groups), and this is a project the CMC spent a great deal of time discussing, researching and actualizing in 2010.
In February 2010, the Communications and Marketing Committee proposed a public relations program to the ACR board of directors, and that program was approved. The Committee, then, conducted member research and returned to the board of directors in May with three potential concepts for the ACR's inaugural public relations campaign. The board decided to pursue an initial campaign that aims to advance rheumatology by elevating the importance of the subspecialty, increasing the understanding of the work of rheumatologists and rheumatology health professionals, and laying a foundation of awareness and understanding that creates support for more favorable public policy. The campaign is aimed at those people and groups that influence rheumatology.
After creating a strategy for the first year of the campaign, the Communications and Marketing Committee tested campaign messages among target audiences and refined those messages based on their feedback. The committee has started executing specific campaign tactics in preparation for launching the campaign publicly in early 2011. Upcoming work on the campaign includes outreach to physician groups, website enhancements, media placements, purchasing ad space in target publications and online, the creation and dissemination of a white paper, and social and digital media efforts—among other tactics.
Keeping Members Informed About Important Drug Safety and Other Breaking News
In 2010, the College issued five hotlines, including "Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D" ( December 2010), "Pegloticase for the Treatment of Gout"(November 2010), "Denosumab" (November 2010), "Atypical Femoral Fractures with Long-Term Bisphosphonate Use" (March 2010), "Tocilizumab for the Treatment of Rheumatoid Arthritis" (February 2010).
In addition, the College launched a new publication, Drug Safety Quarterly. This publication is provided to members from the Drug Safety Committee, and provides news, insight and critical review of safety issues germane to anti-rheumatic therapy.
Rheumatology Morning Wire continued to be a well-received and useful source of news and information selected from thousands of local, regional, national and international sources to alert members to medical news as it is reported in the media. Delivered each week day, content in the Wire discusses drug and device safety news as well as general medical information, health policy and legislation, practice management, quality, access to care, and research advances.
Serving as a partner organization on public relations campaigns
In 2010, the ACR continued its work to support the Arthritis Foundation's Ad Council campaign on osteoarthritis awareness. The campaign is entering its second phase in 2011 and will continue to raise awareness about osteoarthritis among people age 55 and older who have OA. For more information about this campaign, visit www.fightarthritispain.org.
In addition, the ACR remains a proud supporter of the Ad Council campaign, "Could I Have Lupus?", launched by the Office of Women's Health and the Ad Council in early 2009. For more information about this campaign, visit www.couldihavelupus.gov.
Strengthening Media Relationships
In 2010, the ACR focused on strengthening its relationships with media outlets to ensure that issues of importance to the profession and to people affected by rheumatic diseases remain visible. The College updated its Experts on Call list (a list of members who provide expert interviews to the media interested in rheumatology) and responded to hundreds of media requests—covering specific diseases, therapy options, pediatric issues, workforce issues, diet and exercise, and lifestyle changes.
The College continued to pitch the media and offered story ideas ranging from arthritis awareness to Medicare issues to classification criteria to lobbying. With a strong focus on both responding to media requests and proactively seeking opportunities to work with the media, the College was able to continue positioning itself as the go-to authority on rheumatology, and secured coverage of rheumatology through media outlets such as Ladies Home Journal, CNN, WebMD, Bloomberg News, Fox News Radio, Prevention, USA Today, Wall Street Journal, CBS Radio, and Seventeen Magazine.
In addition to its year-round media relations program, the ACR continued to build its annual meeting media program. In 2010, the College pitched over 50 science, leadership, awards winners, and general rheumatology stories to the media. The College also held five on-site press conferences to specifically promote science at the meeting. Through these efforts, news from the meeting received several hundred media hits from outlets such as Bloomberg News, CBS Radio, Arthritis Today, WebMD, About.com, Reuters Health, ABC affiliates, Boston Business Journal, CBS affiliates, Chicago Tribune, Forbes.com, Fox affiliates, MSNBC, MSN Health & Fitness, U.S. News & World Report, and Yahoo!.
New Online Presence, Community Outreach
In order to improve access to content and update the College's online presence, the ACR redesigned and launched a new website in February 2010. Since the launch, user feedback has been positive and enhancements to the site continue.
In addition to a redesigned website, the College launched a You Tube channel to showcase various videos, a Twitter account to inform and engage users interested in rheumatology issues, and created a private Facebook group for ACR fellow-in-training members. The College continued to use Facebook and Flickr as well.
9
Go to Page: 1-7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | Back to ACR Site