1. New Media and the Transformation of Health Al Lundeen Deputy Director, Office of Public Affairs California Department of Public Health April 15, 2010
H1N1 Since April, this has by far been the No. 1 issue with the media Received 585 H1N1 queries and 318 of those inquiries were in April Today I’m going to discuss how we turned a crisis into opportunities using new media, along with traditional media I include this cartoon because it reflects very well how we felt as communicators, and what the public was experiencing from the media
This is further illustrated by a recent Pew report The internet is now the third most-popular news platform, behind local and national television news and ahead of national print newspapers, local print newspapers and radio. Getting news online fits into a broad pattern of news consumption by Americans; six in ten (59%) get news from a combination of online and offline sources on a typical day.
Responded to hundreds of media inquires by international, national and local media outlets Activated Joint Information Center (JIC) in JEOC as part of federal Emergency Support Function 15, Public Information and Warning Announced the nation’s first two cases of H1N1 flu and conducted daily media briefings in the spring of 2009 Used traditional and new media: Conducted weekly teleconference and Web cast press briefings on H1N1 status in CA Updated CDPH home page go include posting of video, audio, podcasts, RSS feed, flu vaccine locator widget The video in the lower left corner is news coverage of a briefing
We created a series of healthcasts, short vignettes that provided information on various timely H1N1 issues, such as vaccine myths and facts, at-risk groups, frequently asked questions, flu predictions, prevention tips and more. These are rotated and are housed on our YouTube channel Click on the blue Healthcasts to go to our YouTube page
Was tasked with creating an in-house campaign to increase public awareness about preventing the spread of H1N1 Conducted statewide H1N1 PSA contest, leveraging multiple news opportunities One of the main challenges was lack of resources: CDPH had no budget and limited staff to address the new pandemic. Another challenge was that H1N1 does not impact the same population as seasonal flu – which is typically adults over 50. Children and young adults are most susceptible to H1N1 which meant trying to find the best medium to reach a young digital generation. Additionally, this demographic wasn’t accustomed to getting vaccinated for the flu. Generated several print and broadcast stories Worked with GO to launch Only cost $59 for hosting fees Worked closely with IZB
Here are other examples of coverage Leveraged the contest to communicate our preventative key messages: 1. Wash your hands often, especially after you cough or sneeze. 2. Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue or your sleeve. 3. Stay home if you are sick. 4. Get vaccinated. Again, this effort only cost us $59, and that was for hosting fees – we used new media and traditional media The video in the black box is news coverage
Used social media to disseminate health news and tips along with H1N1 updates Twitter Created in April to help disseminate crucial H1N1 information Sent out more than 350 tweets on behalf of CDPH programs; has grown to more than 1700 followers Facebook Launched in July, nearly 700 “fans” Shares health tips on topics such as H1N1, food recalls, WNV alerts and tips, summer safety advice, immunization, healthful recipes, topical news, program achievements Creates dialogue with public through “comments” YouTube Channel CDPH now has 20 videos on YouTube (Office of AIDS, Skin Cancer Prevention, Tobacco Control, H!N1 More than 20, 000 people have viewed CDPH videos on YouTube CDPH-produced H1N1 video – viewed more than 5,000 times Healthcasts
We launched a new program to help Californians find local H1N1 and seasonal flu vaccine sites. Cell phone users are able to text the word "NO FLU" and their ZIP code to 30644 and receive vital flu-related information including alerts and the nearest vaccination location Young people are still among the high-risk groups to experience H1N1 complications and text messaging is an ideal way to reach them Also used application on Facebook This may be the only time you’ve been asked to turn on your cell phones – I’d like you to find your nearest location.
Conducted RFP search for public relations and advertising Worked with agencies to create tag line and icons that were used throughout the campaign, ‘It’s up to you to stop the flu” Conducted traditional PR and advertising campaign Collateral material and posters in eight different languages; Disseminated H1N1 information and materials in multiple languages to external stakeholders, local health departments TV/outdoor
Used “animated flash movie banners” Echoed look and feel of ads, icons/tag lines; also did Spanish