October 29, 2020
In September, we helped our client the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation (PFF) celebrate Pulmonary Fibrosis Awareness Month to drive awareness for this serious lung disease affecting more than 200,000 Americans. This year presented a particularly difficult media environment, with health coverage focused on the COVID-19 pandemic, but our team found creative ways to cut through the clutter.
News Coverage
To kick off the month, we distributed feature articles to media in both English and Spanish. We also sent out a press release about the common myths and misconceptions surrounding pulmonary fibrosis (PF) causes, treatments, diagnoses and more. News coverage generated more than 400M impressions.
- Top feature story placements included LA Times, Chicago Tribune, NY Daily News and The Arizona Republic, as well as pick-up in Hispanic outlets such as Arizona Hispano News, Ahora News, Diario Horizonte and La Prensa Hispana Newspaper.
- Proactive outreach highlighted PFF ambassadors and the importance of more awareness and research, including placements in Bridge the Gap Podcast, RT Magazine, Health News Digest, Responsum for PF and Pulmonology Advisor.
Radio Media Tour
PFF medical expert Dr. Sonye Danoff got the word out nationally in a series of radio interviews. She described the symptoms and risk factors of PF and encouraged listeners to discuss the disease with their physicians. Dr. Danoff completed 17 interviews, totaling 473 segment airings with more than 29M impressions.
Web Blitz
For additional coverage, we submitted articles by the PF medical team and patients to national websites, generating more than 21M impressions. Sample articles included:
- EmpowHER.com: PFF Ambassador Melissa Wheeler shared her first-hand experience with PF and her lung transplant journey. She also encouraged women to be their own advocates and speak to their doctors.
- Patient’s Lounge – PFF Ambassador Fred Schick discussed his unexpected PF diagnosis, as well as symptoms and risk factors to look out for.
- Thrive Global – PFF’s Chief Medical Officer Dr. Gregory Cosgrove discussed key signs and symptoms of PF, along with how to get involved during PFAM.
- Vocal Media– PFF Medical Expert Dr. Joyce S. Lee defined PF and highlighted available treatments.
- Medium.com– PFF Medical Expert Dr. Sonye Danoff shared important facts about PF and ways to spread the word in September.
Digital Ad Campaign
To amplify our messaging even further, a digital ad campaign in both English and Spanish reached key at-risk and general awareness audiences. The ads – both in text and video formats – highlighted PF myths, symptoms and risk factors, as well as portraits of PFF ambassadors to raise awareness and fundraising efforts. The digital ad campaign significantly drove clicks to AboutPF.org and AboutPF.org/Espanol, garnering 24,000 clicks and nearly 2M impressions across Facebook and banner ads.
Despite a unique news cycle, we were still able to increase awareness of PF during this important month. To learn more about PF, visit www.AboutPF.org.