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» How PSAs Can Help Reach Policy-Makers |
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 How PSAs Can Help Reach Policy-Makers |
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As the leading professional
organization representing America's orthopaedic surgeons,
AAOS member physicians are often the ones who put bones
and limbs back together after traumatic injuries, including
car crashes.
In April 2011, AAOS launched a national public education
campaign designed to combat distracted driving called
Decide to Drive with a slogan of "Behind the
wheel, there is no such thing as a small distraction."
One of the key audiences for the campaign was public policy-makers
in Washington, DC, as well as the many highway safety
organizations headquartered in the nation's capital. PSA
messages for all media were created by August/Lang & Husak,
a Behesda, MD ad agency.
Since getting PSAs aired on broadcast stations in Washington is always difficult, two other tactics were employed to reach key stakeholders: a kick-off press conference at the National Press Club in downtown Washington, and placement of campaign posters at the airports, shopping malls, and bus stops throughout the city and surrounding suburbs.
At the press conference, the results of a Harris poll on distracted driving were released to the media. Key speakers included: David Strickland, Administrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, and Ann Fero, Administrator of the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration. To add a human dimension, a young man who had been badly injured while texting and driving, gave a passionate plea for people to concentrate on their driving behavior.
People coming to the press conference from out of town were greeted by 20 jumbo airport dioramas at both Ronald Regan National and Dulles Airports, as well 40 mall and bus stop posters throughout the city.
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Nationally, PSA materials
were distributed to 8,000 broadcast, cable, radio, print
and out-of-home media, and an interactive press release
was distributed to 30,000 journalists and online media
outlets via PR Web. Front page stories on the campaign
appeared in Broadcasters Café and CablePAK News distributed
to broadcast and cable TV outlets. To see the release
and the TV PSA, go to: http://www.prweb.com/releases/goodwillcommunications/aaos/prweb8161444.htm
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 Along
with PSAs distributed to national media, the campaign
includes a school curriculum involving 10,000 teachers
that brings orthopaedic surgeons into the classroom to
discuss the issue.
A toolkit was also distributed to AAOS’s 36,000
members and 50 state societies to get the word out at
the community level. Additionally all TV PSAs were tagged
with the name of the state society to provide more local
impact.
One of the major campaign sponsors was the The Auto
Alliance, comprised of 12 major vehicle manufacturers
committed to implementing constructive solutions that
promote motor vehicle safety. The Alliance provided
funding for an interactive website - Citizens
Take Back the Road! – at
www.decidetodrive.org.
On the website, motorists can actually log complaints
about distracted driving for any part of the country.
In the first eight months of the campaign it has
generated just under $12 million in ad value and 54,000 airplays.
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