MedStar Health Visiting Nurse Association (VNA)
Fight the Flu Campaign

Situation
Schiller Communications served as the sponsor and media relations consultant to MedStar Health VNA's Fight the Flu campaign from 2000 - 2003, until the cost of the influenza vaccine forced MedStar VNA to eliminate the public portion of its campaign. Fight the Flu is a mass immunization program, which provides flu shots for adults in grocery stores, pharmacies, workplaces, and other convenient locations throughout the greater Washington, D.C./Baltimore region.

Strategic Thinking & Responsibilities
Each year new challenges forced us to develop new strategies for the campaign's public relations efforts. In 2001 our campaign kicked off immediately following the tragic events of September 11th. In Washington, D.C. it was difficult to attract media coverage for the flu campaign during that time until the Anthrax scare shortly after the attacks. Because we had positioned ourselves as "the flu experts," we were able to get media coverage by educating the public on the difference between the flu and complications from contact with Anthrax. In 2000, we were challenged by the vaccine's nationwide delay in production and delivery. Once again, we positioned ourselves as "experts," and the authority on the delivery of the vaccine.

Our responsibilities included recruiting and retaining sponsors, working closely with media sponsors to publicize the campaign, media relations, and planning and coordinating the sponsor thank you luncheon.

Schiller Communications held a media training seminar for the nurses who might be in contact with reporters showing up at clinics. We worked throughout the campaign to get media coverage. To publicize the event, we coordinated free advertising of clinic locations and times each week in The Washington Times and The Journal Newspapers. We also planned and coordinated free advertising on Metro transit buses and at Metro subway stations, in addition to coordinating with our two radio partners - WJZW 105.9 and MIX 107.2. We planned the sponsor thank you luncheon, which included all logistics for the event, printing invitations, selecting and ordering awards, securing a prominent guest speaker, speech writing, and video production.

Results Delivered
Each year, MedStar VNA was extremely pleased with our work on the campaign, and our results. We vaccinated more than 85,000 people in the Washington, D.C./Baltimore region. We increased media coverage by 50 percent. In addition, we increased awareness of MedStar Health VNA.