Each year, the Institute for Public Relations partners with the New York Chapter of PRSA to recognize public relations campaigns with exceptional integration of research, measurement and evaluation. Of all the Big Apple Award winners, one is recognized with IPR’s “Best Use of Research, Measurement and Evaluation Award.”
Addressing the challenges surrounding European women with HIV through the “SHE: The Untold Story of HIV” campaign is 2012 award recipient TogoRun. The healthcare division of Fleishman-Hillard partnered with Bristol-Myers Squibb to establish an informational support system to meet the needs of women with HIV.
An online peer-to-peer network offered useful knowledge and support from women affected by HIV. Gender-specific information on the SHE website helped to ease feelings of isolation and despair among those afflicted with the virus. A corresponding scientific program then provided best practices research to healthcare providers to help improve patient care.
“The program had clear objectives which went beyond just outtakes from media coverage, including bridging the gap on unmet patient needs, improved dialogue with physicians and improved quality of care driven by gender sensitivity,” said IPR Measurement Commission member Marianne Eisenmann, one of the competition’s judges. “Measurement included quantitative data on the numbers of physicians engaged, numbers of patients reached and also advocacy and public affairs relationships to provide credibility and sense of urgency.”
The campaign took a holistic approach to both the formative research and the evaluation. It received 75 million media impressions and more than 80,000 SHE website hits from more than 100 countries. Its clinical pilot programs are now in 13 European countries, illustrating how tremendous change can result from the passion of a small group of women, the power of peer support and strategic communication.
