The MALPH Marketing Project

Challenges and Opportunities for Communicators

Gray R. Reynolds, MACommunications Manager/PIO

Washtenaw County Public Health Department

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My Background BA, Journalism; MA, English/Communications. 22+ years in for-profit, corporate:

Communications Public relations Media relations Investor relations

Director of Corporate Communications for two large Detroit-based corporations.

Adjunct Professor at EMU. Limited not-for-profit experience. <1 Year in Public Health!

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My Vantage Point As I wasn’t involved in the development of

the marketing toolkit, I can be objective. As a former journalist, I can judge and

comment on the receptivity of the media to this material.

As a former private sector (public company) employee, I can juxtapose corporate best practices with these marketing activities.

As a new, yet experienced employee, I can offer suggestions for future improvements.

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What Works1

This is a best practices strategy for marketing communications, and it is particularly effective when: A larger, central entity desires to orchestrate a

unified, multi-unit communication campaign. Units/departments are geographically dispersed. Units/departments have uneven talent and the

capability to produce and distribute professional-level communications.

A centralized web infrastructure already exists from which to distribute communications.

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What Works2

As a message-centric strategy, it’s effective, because: Each health department is delivering the same

set of messages in a similar timeframe; everyone stays on topic.

Units/departments benefit from the synergy of dealing with the same topic in the same timeframe; they can collaborate with one another, if necessary.

The collateral has the same look and feel, creating a recognizable brand for the media; creates a monthly relationship between the LPHD and the media.

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Words of Wisdom

“It’s a lot easier to throw grenades than to catch them.”

--President Lyndon B. Johnson

“Critics are like eunuchs in a harem. They’re there every night, they see how it should be done every night, but they can’t do it themselves.”

--Brendan Francis Behan

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Issues and Obstacles1 Discordant subjects intermingled. Too many topics to cover with any level of

depth. Low or no news value for larger media

outlets, unless hooked to national stories or localized to compelling countywide statistics.

Shifts us backwards from a two-way symmetrical model to a press agentry public relations model.

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Issues and Obstacles2

Can be perceived as health department propaganda, resulting in low/no coverage. Usually doesn’t fill news holes. This information is easily obtainable elsewhere.

Alters our relationship with the media. Are we creating an expectation of “free ink?” Should/does the media feel an obligation to

comply? The large amount of information makes

surveillance difficult.

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Issues and Obstacles3

Creates news “clutter.” Press release + 4-5 fact sheets per

e-mail/fax/snail mail, is a lot of information. Too much information overwhelms reporters

with deadlines. The more concise the better. Will “real news” get lost? Each contact with the media should be a

win-win; is it, when we try to control the agenda?

Will they respect us in the morning?

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Suggestions for Improvement

Make it:a Win-Win

Credible

Accessible

Relevant

Simple

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Suggestions for Improvement1

Make it Simple: Focus press releases on a single issue with

highly related components. Don’t overwhelm reporters with endless detail.

Use a sniper rifle, not a shotgun. If they need more detail, they’ll ask.

Make it a two-way transaction with reporters. Listen for what they need first, give it to them, then volunteer additional information.

Prepare information that is even more concise for radio and TV media.

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Suggestions for Improvement2

Make it Relevant: Tie the MALPH information to national or local

events/statistics or news for your reporters to demonstrate its relevancy/newsworthiness.

Look for every opportunity to localize, localize, and localize the information to the reader- or listener-ship of your local media.

Open a dialogue with reporters/editors to discuss their needs in regard to the subject matter expertise your LPHD can provide.

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Suggestions for Improvement3

Make it Accessible: Create electronic pitch letters with links to this

information on your website. Prospect for news directors.

Distribute press releases with links to fact sheets. Create an electronic archive of useful fact sheets and advertise its availability to reporters.

Audit your media distribution list to determine how members of the media prefer to receive their information. Customize your distribution accordingly.

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Suggestions for Improvement4

Make it Credible: Brand your LPHD as the subject matter expert on

specific topics. Communicate your expertise to the media. Consider establishing formal media partnerships.

Volunteer you LPHD’s expertise in situations that warrant it.

Choose your “hill to die on” and pass up opportunities to push low-value, easily accessible information. Be the go-to source for health expertise and tough questions.

Develop techniques to distinguish your hard news from your soft news so the media won’t be confused.

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Suggestions for Improvement5

Make it a Win-Win: Use the MALPH marketing project to

introduce the media to your LPHD and its expertise. Build roads where none previously existed.

In smaller or remote markets without daily periodicals, your LPHD may become the health information provider/reporter.

Develop relationships based on trust to establish a truly symbiotic partnership.

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Food for Thought

Additional Considerations: Surveillance: Consider using “media listening

posts” when you can’t afford to monitor your coverage.

Entrée: Think short-term first. Use the MALPH marketing project to establish contacts where none existed before. Parlay these contacts into fruitful relationships.

Modification: Consider a more drastic alteration of the press release to localize information up-front.

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Final Thoughts

It’s only a tool, and it won’t make or break your public/media relations efforts. Treat it accordingly.

As a tool, consider the many different ways you can use the prepackaged information.

Have fun with it! If you use it wisely, it can only improve your efforts.

The MALPH Marketing Project

Q & A