Designing a PSA Campaign!

For those of us into social marketing and health outreach a favorite topic of discussion is how to improve public service announcements. We have countless thoughts and opinions on how we would've or could've made an existing campaign better. I've had the opportunity to put my money, well it was grant money, where my mouth is and design a PSA campaign from start to finish.

Each step, from the initial creative brief and informal focus group to the final production is outlined on my sister blog at wrhap.blogspot.com

I may add the lowdown on lessons learned about the challenges I experienced first hand producing a PSA campaign here on my own site...

P. S. We have less than 15 days left in our fundraiser to send the PSA to local stations and pay for track services, so if you're thinking about donating...please do it now at INDIEGOGO.COM/WRHAP

Help Get Our PSA Campaign on TV!

It's been a minute, but I have news:

1. I graduated from film school last year 
2. I started a job producing online videos
3. I'm finishing my first real PSA campaign

And I'd love your support. We're working to get the PSA on the air!

 
This is an opportunity to support something we all care about -- public health education. I just produced a HIV PSA with a lot of help from local volunteers, ranging from public health workers to up and coming filmmakers. It has always been my dream to combine both of these fields and, six years after Yale, it's finally coming true. 



Please help us ensure the work of our volunteers results in air time for the television spot we produced --  consider supporting our campaign (INDIEGOGO.COM/WRHAP) and sharing the message with your network of friends and colleagues.

Black Women's Health Forum - LA

Two weekends ago on Saturday, April 28th, I had the opportunity to attend the Black Women's Health Forum at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Admission was free and open to the public and the event promised to offer breakout health sessions, health screenings, guest speakers and fitness classes. Health, especially women's health and health in the black community are of special interest to me given the disparities in these demographics regarding obesity and chronic disease. I thought it was an excellent idea to bring these issues to the public forefront and wanted to see what the event had to offer. The following was my impression:

Breakout sessions were excellent, covering issues as varied as diabetes and prostate cancer to adoption services. I was surprised to see the session on adoption, but was glad I sat in on it. The information was engaging and inspiring. The panel discussion in the main room, i.e. the "Wellness Village", however was a little bizarre as panelists often seemed off topic and there wasn't a clear message. Among the guest speakers was Dick Gregory with an amusing and engaging, if not puzzling, discussion of race and health.

Not sure how health oriented the Wellness Village was. Most vendors were hawking magic elixirs and supplements as get-fit-quick products, I guess you can't make money off the truth - that wellness and health require consistent work over time. Maintaining good health and being in shape requires adopting effective strategies and behaviors that become part of your regular routine. A lot of barriers to this are information, income, and time management. Many women are still in the dark with how to accomplish this. I wish there had been more information on that. There were, however, a sprinkling of social services in the room, like a table promoting prenatal care services, so that was nice.

I didn't come in time for the fitness classes, but the fact they were offered was fabulous. Those and the Health Screening room made the forum worth while. There were tables giving eye exams, taking BMI measurements, and scoliosis screenings to name a few. Less worthwhile, was what I believe must have been the beauty room, as the emphasis seemed to be on hair weaves, eye brow shaping, candles and bath salts.

Despite the positive nature of the event and the shared commonalities between attendees, the atmosphere was not the most friendly. I didn't feel a warm welcome when I entered the event and the attendees seemed reluctant to speak to each other.

Overall, I wish the event had been better organized with a clear take home message. The emphasis on health didn't feel consistent throughout. But I'm definitely glad I went to hear the current dialogues and learn where many women are in their "health journey." Maybe it's just me, having come from design school, but I believe the event could have been better curated to create a more focused experience. Some of the booths were distractions and seemed exploitative and gimmicky.  The event shows a lot of promise and I believe attendees came hoping to find answers to their health struggles, unfortunately this year many women may have come away empty handed. A for effort, C for execution.

Revisiting Ads In/On School Buses Issue?

I'm adding one more post about my previous topic, because my mother ran across it and had this to say:

Re: Blog
Schools started running ads inside on monitors almost 25 years ago. I think it was a company from Tennessee that may now be heavily involved in the charter school business.  Keep in mind that schools earn money form this venture. Some schools got rid of the ads when concerns about obesity and diabetes were raised.


I have to admit, this is true, but having posters and monitors in halls versus on a bus where it's unavoidable for the students due to proximity and also becomes public advertising space outside the school walls just feels tacky. Perhaps the revenue generated for the school is substantial, but I cringe at the thought of schools moving closer to the "business model" they already seem to be adopting...

Manipulating Young Minds for Fun and Profit

Missouri schools are allowing ads to be placed within and outside public school buses. I have only three words for this news...

Stop the insanity!

Okay and four more...

Is it worth it?

First Ever Blues Comic Celebrates Black History Month

Just ran across this in PR Web and wanted to share it in the spirit of February!

A comic book featuring historical figures in blues will be released in conjunction with Black History Month. Blues Comix published The Blues: a midnight adventure and is making it available for download as a mobile app for the iPhone, iPad and iPod. I'm not in support of limiting black history to one month, but I plan to upload this as a fabulous example of edutainment.

It's free for 24 hours on February 1st and then available for $1.99 afterwards.

Maybe I'll update this post later with a review!

STD Theatre Performance Educates Teens

I am a huge advocate of educational entertainment and the power of enthralling audiences, while educating them on the sneak tip. The LAist posted an article online today about an excellent example at John Wooden High, a high school in Reseda, CA.

A troupe of actors, courtesy of Kaiser Permanente, visited the school with a theatre performance about five teens dealing with unprotected sex and sexually transmitted disease in the last days of high school. The play incorporates texting and holds a Q&A session afterwards for teens to clear up misconceptions about home remedies and myths.

The performance is part of Kaiser Permanente's long running health education through live theatre program - Kaiser Permanente Educational Theatre. This is my first time hearing about this program and I love it! I may even submit my resume to get involved!