Quantifying the social impact of any discipline is not easy, and public relations is no exception. Globally, when it comes to establishing specific parameters to properly measure social impact, there are still “gray zones.”

Nonetheless, as communication professionals, we should strive to achieve objective outputs with every strategy and tool we use. It starts with reaching a single reader, viewer or follower, and can extend far into the collective social conscience. Even though the impact is unpredictable, this communication ultimately provides access to information that can be quantified and valued in any number of ways:

• Generation of quality content
• Investment in professionalization and training of journalists and media
• Coverage of a known fact from a new perspective

Most importantly, collaborating on a client project as equals allows us to build that sense of community. The end result: A simplification of complex scientific, technological, medical, industrial, financial or corporate languages found by listening to the clients’ needs and guiding them through the complexity of modern life.

Here in Mexico, the public relations industry has grown on average 9.1% in the past six years, and is worth about $1.9 billion Pesos ($150 million USD)[1] annually. There are over 5,000[2] PR consultants in Mexico focused on raising awareness on behalf of companies, and the impact of their advocacy comes with a high level of credibility and for an affordable price.

Throughout my life I have sought to contribute positively to society. Undoubtedly, PR has been the best means to achieve this goal. From my perspective, the contribution of marketing to society has endless possibilities, and a great potential for multidisciplinary approaches. Leading the Healthcare Business Unit at PR Partners, I have witnessed the value and impact of public relations on Mexican society and industry, and strongly believe we still have much more to do to support healthcare and improve the quality of life from infants to seniors.

The post Finding Solid Ground: Using PR to Transcend the Intangible appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.

“Historias Mayo” article raising awareness of organ donation

Today’s insights come courtesy of Nallely Moreno of our GLOBALHealthPR Mexico partner, PRPartners.  

Throughout the world, the Mayo Clinic is known as a top source for scientific research and medical education and care. Because the media already uses Mayo Clinic as a reference, the organization has a distinct advantage when it has news. Whereas traditionally, a press release is not sufficient to gain media attention, the Mayo Clinic has an already-primed audience watching for news. In 2012 alone, we managed to get 627 stories and articles published for the Mayo Clinic.

A client as well-known and prolific as the Mayo Clinic demands an excellent PR team; since beginning with them in 2003 they have continually challenged our agency to provide top-notch service.  Most recently, we worked on promoting a series of videos that they produced earlier this year. The series was a patient campaign specially directed to Latin America, called “Historias Mayo” (Mayo Stories). The Mayo Clinic requested that we promote the video series through broadcast channels so that the videos would reach as many people as possible. The project was complicated by the nature of the videos; instead of portraying the newsworthy information typical of the Mayo Clinic, they showed a more personal, human side to physicians and patients. While the series is incredibly produced and inspiring to view, they were more oriented to patients than for media.

Mayo Stories video clip

In this case, the press release with the link to the videos did not attract attention and for the first few months the media took little interest in the series. We had to pitch the stories behind the series and really focus on what the series would mean to medicine and patients. The strategy required time and dedication, but finally succeeded. It was a dedicated strategy that took some time, but finally came through. We accomplished forty original stories, mostly on television and ranging from the most widely-viewed channels, to more specialized local health broadcasts.

How do we measure the success of this case?

Editorial work and communication campaigns cannot be measured like they used to be, using methods that often limited the results of a campaign to advertising equivalence or publicity and outreach. Our measurement system allows us to include in the metrics all the things that are relevant for each client. This could include: media classification, the placement of the information, inclusion of product shots, mention of certain messages or brands, etc. With this metric system, we’re able to offer a comprehensive analysis with indicators that provide a true picture of the real impact that PR work has in terms of positioning and brand equity.

In the end, the results obtained from the “Historias Mayo” campaign were excellent. The obtained publications measured above 9 in the PRP metrics system (the highest achievement for a campaign or publication measurement is 10). By understanding why the media hesitated portraying the series, we were able to use a different tactic with the media and ultimately sell the series for what it was: a meaningful addition to the healthcare community.

About the author: Nallely Moreno is Area Director, Pharma, for PRPartners in Mexico City, Mexico.

The post Modifying Tactics to Help Mayo Clinic Succeed: A Lesson in PR appeared first on GLOBALHealthPR.