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Celebs pose on the runway at the The Heart Truth's Red Dress Collection 2012 Fashion Show on Feb. 8 in New York.
Organization: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Agency: Ogilvy Public Relations Timeframe: Sept. 2012 - Present
For all the wonderful awareness-raising efforts for breast cancer--think NFL players' pink cleats and Komen for the Cure's races--the fact remains that the No. 1 killer of women is a different condition: heart disease. That's why, for the past 10 years, Ogilvy Public Relations, on behalf of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), has worked to raise awareness of heart disease in women through The Heart Truth campaign.
DECADE IN THE MAKING
The campaign's 10th anniversary in 2012 provided an opportunity to reinvigorate the signature American Heart Month media event, the Red Dress Collection Fashion Show. The event is a collaboration between celebrities and the fashion industry that positions the Red Dress as the national symbol for women and heart disease awareness during New York Fashion Week. Ogilvy sought new ways to freshen the experience while building on past successes to ensure continued, in-depth coverage.
A team of 10 from Ogilvy aimed to achieve the following specific objectives for 2012:
- Secure attendance from more than 200 print, online and broadcast media;
- Increase media coverage for The Heart Truth during American Heart Month by 25% over 2011 results;
- Target and increase media outreach efforts to Hispanic media by securing at least two Spanish-speaking Latina celebrities; and
- Reinvigorate at least one long-term media partnership and secure at least one new media partner.
The 2012 Red Dress Collection theme--The Power of 10--would be targeted at women ages 40 to 60, when a woman's risk of heart disease starts to rise. But it was also important for messages to reach younger women, since heart disease develops gradually and can start even in the teenage years.
OUTREACH STRATEGY
The Heart Truth appeals to its audience by prompting women to focus on their "outer self" (fashion), while reminding them to think about their "inner self," their heart health.
Working with professional recruitment firm Flying Television, the team sought at least 15 celebrity women to serve as Red Dress runway models and spokespeople. The celebrities...