Expired Addressing Social Issues: How to Move Your Audience from Awareness to Action

Coronavirus. Climate change. Vaping. These are just a few of the important social issues that PR professionals are tackling today by disseminating messages and conducting outreach to raise public awareness. But now, more than ever, we need to go one step further and drive our audiences to action. How do we do that? Social marketing—often confused with social media marketing—is a proven approach that uses commercial marketing principles to change an audience’s behavior in an effort to improve societal wellbeing. This approach has been used since the 1970s to reduce tobacco use, prevent malaria, and so much more. In this workshop, you’ll learn how to create an effective social marketing strategy in today’s constantly evolving communications landscape, including how innovative technologies—like social media, websites, apps, virtual reality, gamification, chatbots, and more—can help further your impact.

You’ll learn:

• How you can use social marketing to move your own audiences from awareness to action
• How innovative technology can be used to make behavior change programs more effective
• Examples of innovative programs that change behavior using digital tactics

Agenda

9:15–9:45 a.m.—Social marketing principles and digital innovations

Elizabeth Osborn and Emily Zeigenfuse will describe what social marketing is and how you can apply its principles to inspire audiences to action. They will also discuss how to incorporate innovative technologies into program research, planning, execution, and measurement.

9:45–10:15 a.m.—This is Quitting: How the truth campaign is engaging young people and helping them quit e-cigarettes

The latest data show that more than 5.3 million kids now use e-cigarettes, including over 1 in 4 high school students. No one knows all the long- and short-term health effects of e-cigarettes and many young people didn’t know what they were getting into when they started using the products. In fact, a Truth Initiative study revealed that nearly two thirds – 63% of JUUL users between 15-24 years old did not know that the product always contains nicotine. Young people have taken to social media to express their desire to stop JUULing and quit vaping entirely. In fact, our data show nearly 50% of 15-24-year-old current e-cigarette users said quitting e-cigarettes this year was one of their 2020 New Year’s resolutions. That’s why we created the first-of-its kind free text message e-cigarette quit program called This is Quitting as part of our truth campaign. The program was first introduced in January 2019 and to-date more than 160,000 young people have enrolled. After just two weeks of using the program more than half (60.8%) reported that they had reduced or stopped using e-cigarettes. Sarah will share more about how the truth campaign is elevating the voices of young people around this important topic and providing resources to help them quit.

10:15–10:45 a.m.—Creating a sense of urgency: Raising awareness about the second leading cause of cancer deaths in the U.S.

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in men and women combined, but yet folks are afraid to talk about that part of their body and/or get screened.  The Colorectal Cancer Alliance wanted to launch a campaign that highlighted the importance of getting screened for a disease that is 90% treatable and beatable if caught early and the urgency in doing so. The Tomorrow Can’t Wait campaign was created to be executed in various ways from grassroots to events, and national ad campaigns to earned media stories. Maurisa will highlight the continued impact of this campaign and the tactics taken to execute it that can be applied to your organization.

10:45–11 a.m.—Q&A

Speakers

Elizabeth Osborn

Elizabeth Osborn, Vice President at Hager Sharp, has more than 14 years of health communication and social marketing experience. She has developed, implemented, and managed national public health awareness, education, and social marketing campaigns for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS), Food and Drug Administration, AARP Foundation, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Kaiser Permanente, and the National Institutes of Health. As part of this work, she’s led clients through branding and strategic planning initiatives, managed formative research projects, created partnerships with organizations big and small, generated media coverage in local and national outlets, and worked with creative and digital teams to produce resources—from websites to fact sheets to videos—that effectively communicate key messages and engage target audiences. When not strategizing with Hager Sharp clients, Elizabeth is an adjunct professor for The George Washington University’s Masters of Public Health program.

Maurisa Potts

Maurisa Potts is the Founder and CEO of Spotted MP (Marketing & Public Relations) and has more than 20 years of professional marketing, communications and events experience. Founded in 2008, Spotted MP is a small, women and minority-owned boutique marketing firm that provides distinctive and innovative strategies that deliver impact and build brand growth. Maurisa is known for her mission-driven work ethic, creativity, and expertise to deliver results for loyal firm clients. Her areas of focus include economic development, real estate, community place-making, lifestyle, and non-profits, having orchestrated work for a variety of local and national businesses within those industries. Over the years, her work has resulted in placements in regional and national print and broadcast media outlets, including The “TODAY” Show, CNN, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN, PBS, NPR, and other leading media affiliates. Maurisa is a proud Virginia Tech Hokie graduate and is heavily involved in university advocacy initiatives. She is also an avid sports fan and when she is not working, you will see her supporting her sports teams with her husband and son.

Sarah Shank

A trusted partner across the organization, Sarah Shank has been with Truth Initiative since 2009, when she came onboard to support the consumer launch of BecomeAnEX.org. Since then, Shank has collaborated across departments and with external partners and sponsors to develop and execute communications outreach strategies. As the managing director of communications, Shank’s efforts have been an integral part of many truth awards and recognitions, including Cannes PR Lions, Clios, Effies, SABRES, Silver Anvils and Webbys, as well as the 2015 Arts, Entertainment, Sports & Media Campaign of the Year and the 2015 Nonprofit Campaign of the Year by PR Week. Her media strategy delivers more than $100 million in earned media to the organization each year. In 2018, Shank accepted the Gold Stevie award for Communications Professional of the Year from the American Business Awards. Before joining Truth Initiative, Shank worked at Ogilvy Public Relations, where she led communications and social media outreach for association and consumer clients. Shank is an American University graduate and earned a master’s degree in integrated marketing communications from West Virginia University. She is an avid crossfitter and spends her weekends adventuring outdoors.

Emily Zeigenfuse

Emily Zeigenfuse, Vice President and Director of Digital Strategy at Hager Sharp, has spent her 13-year career focused on helping people live healthier, happier lives through effective communication and marketing. As Hager Sharp’s Vice President, Director of Digital Strategy, Emily plans, creates, and executes research-based digital strategies that enable clients to reach business objectives. In her role, Emily conducts digital research that informs campaign planning, such as audience personas, website assessments, and social media listening; leads social media content planning; plans, conducts, and reports on paid media campaigns; and measures client performance on digital channels to offer actionable recommendations to improve. She excels at synthesizing complex data to draw out insights that guide the planning of effective digital strategies.

Emily earned her Master of Public Health from the Johns Hopkins University, which focused on the application of behavior change theories to digital communications. She applies this knowledge to help her clients design social media and digital engagement strategies that reflect behavioral science. Emily earned a bachelor’s degree in political communication from The George Washington University and lives in Washington, D.C.