Section 3: Media and Marketing Outreach

Contents

Promoting Agency Research
Overview
Media and Marketing Strategies
Media Outreach Tactics
   Press Releases
   Media Interviews
   News & Numbers
   Editorial Boards
   Media Tours
Print/Electronic Outreach Tactics
   E-Newsletters
   Journal Commentaries
   Columns
   Op-eds
Audio/Video Tactics
   Newscasts
   Public Service Announcements
   In-store audio
Direct-to-Consumer Outreach Tactics
Marketing
   Web Marketing
   Partnerships
   Direct Mail
Additional Information

Appendixes
   Appendix 3-A Clearance Process for Press Releases
   Appendix 3-B Clearance Process for Media Interviews

Promoting Agency Research

The Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer (OCKT) of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) can help grantees and contractors promote the findings of their AHRQ-funded research through many channels, all of which are discussed below. AHRQ has been successful in working with grantees and contractors to promote findings to the media and to transfer knowledge based on the research to appropriate audiences in the health care community.

To promote their research findings, grantees and contractors should notify OCKT when they have an article accepted for publication. They should send a copy of the manuscript, the anticipated publication date, and contact information for the journal and their institution's public relations office to their AHRQ project officer and to OCKT at journalpublishing@ahrq.hhs.gov. The manuscript will be reviewed to determine what level of marketing to pursue. AHRQ always honors the journal embargo.

Additionally, OCKT is always looking for ways in which AHRQ-funded research, products, and tools have changed people's lives, influenced clinical practice, improved policies, and affected patient outcomes. AHRQ Impact Case Studies describe AHRQ research findings in action and are used in testimony, budget documents, and speeches. Grantees or contractors whose AHRQ-funded research has had an impact on health care policy, clinical practice, or patient outcomes, should contact Jane Steele with AHRQ's Impact Case Studies Program by E-mail at jane.steele@ahrq.gov or by phone at 301-427-1243.

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Overview

This section provides an overview of the activities that OCKT uses to promote the Agency and its mission. The tactics OCKT uses are designed to promote the Agency's strategic goals to the public and to AHRQ stakeholders, including clinicians, policymakers, health systems, and State and local governments. We use a wide range of targeted techniques to reach the appropriate audience.

Social marketing research clearly indicates that messages need to be delivered multiple times using different vehicles for audiences to focus on and understand them. For example, commercial product campaigns usually involve print and broadcast advertising as well as product placement and other techniques.

Another key to effective dissemination and awareness building is sustainability. It isn't sufficient to promote a message or product one time and assume that it has struck a chord with an audience. OCKT takes every opportunity and venue to promote messages and products to the appropriate audience, and we try to integrate messages so that they build on each other and are used over time.

Our most basic message is the Agency's mission: Improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. OCKT reinforces the mission in every tactic and activity that we pursue, and we work with the Agency's offices and centers and their respective external coordinating centers to ensure that the Agency and our mission are reflected appropriately in the materials, articles, and products that are developed on behalf of AHRQ.

OCKT also works to promote the Agency as a resource for reporters, the public, and health care decisionmakers. To that end, we promote the expertise of AHRQ staff and the knowledge and evidence that we develop. Our goal is to create "repeat customers" who seek us out for their health care information needs in addition to introducing AHRQ to new audiences.

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Media and Marketing Strategies

OCKT's tactics can be divided into five categories: media outreach, print and electronic outreach, audio/video tactics, direct-to-consumer outreach tactics, and marketing. These categories are not exclusive, but they do provide a good structure for connecting the dots among all the activities OCKT pursues to promote AHRQ's mission and messages. These categories are intended to overlap so that we reach our audiences with multiple vehicles.

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Media Outreach Tactics

OCKT invests a great deal of time and effort on media outreach. The media are an important audience and a critical conduit to the public, policymakers, and health professionals. As part of this effort, we work to build relationships with reporters so they know to come to AHRQ as an important resource for information.

Press Releases

OCKT sends out press releases and pitches to reporters announcing AHRQ products and research findings. We try to "tell a story" in our press releases by linking the news hook of the release to other Agency activities and messages. For example, press releases on health IT fundings link back to our full portfolio of health IT and safety research.

Press releases require clearance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Go to Appendix 3-A for the steps in the clearance process.

Media Interviews

OCKT sets up interviews for AHRQ staff, grantees, and contractors in response to requests from reporters. We also proactively seek out interviews in publications that are appropriate to a specific message. OCKT provides background information, talking points, and sample questions and answers for media interviews upon request.

Major media interviews require clearance from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Go to Appendix 3-B for details on the clearance process.

News & Numbers

Every week, OCKT sends out an E-mail to reporters with "News and Numbers" featuring data from AHRQ's Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project or Medical Expenditure Panel Survey on topical, timely issues. It has proven to be an excellent and consistently successful vehicle to promote AHRQ data. News and Numbers are available online at: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/newsnumix.htm.

Editorial Boards

OCKT sets up visits with the editorial staffs of newspapers when senior AHRQ staff travel. Reaching out to the editorial staff of newspapers is critically important to building relationships with editors who determine what reporters on staff should cover.

Media Tours

To target the outreach to appropriate audiences, we often need to set up audience-specific outreach activities. One such activity is a media tour that reaches a specific type of media, such as women's magazines, or all media in a geographic location.

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Print/Electronic Outreach Tactics

AHRQ uses a variety of publications—both print and Web-based—to convey messages to the public, policymakers, and professional audiences. Unlike the tactics in the media category, these go directly to the audiences and not through a media intermediary.

E-Newsletters

OCKT has created two electronic newsletters to promote Agency activities. The AHRQ Electronic Newsletter distributes news about important Agency activities once a week to nearly 35,000 subscribers. The electronic newsletter, available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/enewsix.htm, is an important complement to AHRQ's long-standing print publication Research Activities, which reaches some 27,000 subscribers. The Patient Safety/Health IT Electronic Newsletter distributes important patient safety and health IT news to more than 20,000 subscribers once a month. It is available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/ptsnews.htm.

Journal Commentaries

For the last several years, OCKT has arranged for the AHRQ Director to author bylined commentaries in a number of patient safety and other medical journals. OCKT works with AHRQ staff to write draft commentaries and then submit them to the journal.

Columns

OCKT has launched a regular biweekly Web column from the AHRQ Director. The brief, easy-to-understand advice columns help consumers navigate the health care system by addressing issues such as how to recognize high-quality health care; how to be an informed health care consumer; and how to choose a hospital, doctor, and health plan. The columns are available at: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cc.htm.

Op-eds

OCKT is developing a series of op-eds to have on file to respond to news stories and breaking issues. If an op-ed is in response to a news story, it has to be written and cleared quickly and submitted within 48 hours. The goal is to have cleared op-ed language on priority topics that can be quickly adapted to a particular newspaper or story. The language also could be used to place op-eds in cities where the AHRQ Director or other AHRQ staff are delivering major speeches.

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Audio/Video Tactics

OCKT also uses audio/video to augment information delivered to audiences through other means. The tactics listed below are targeted to all audiences.

Newscasts

OCKT produces a series of biweekly newscasts (formerly referred to as podcasts) on AHRQ research findings and news. The newscasts, which are available for download from iTunes and a number of other Web sites, feature interviews with the AHRQ Director or AHRQ researchers and staff. Currently, more than 470 Web sites link to AHRQ's Newscasts, including the National Quality Forum, the American College of Preventive Medicine, and the National Business Coalition on Health. In addition, more than 230 radio stations receive our weekly 1-minute radiocast. Content from AHRQ's newscasts can be found online at: http://healthcare411.ahrq.gov.

Public Service Announcements

AHRQ has produced a number of audio and video public service announcements (PSAs) on important issues and messages derived from AHRQ research. We have produced audio PSAs in both English and Spanish. We distribute all our PSAs nationally to at least 150 radio stations each month. Content can be found at: http://www.ahrq.gov/news/psas.htm.

In-store audio

OCKT has worked with large retailers to produce PSAs on important health care messages that are broadcast to shoppers while they are in the store. Some messages direct consumers to visit the pharmacy to pick up a copy of an AHRQ brochure on medication safety, for example.

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Direct-to-Consumer Outreach Tactics

In addition to media and print outreach, OCKT also is pursing activities that are specifically targeted to consumers. For example, OCKT is working with the Ad Council to develop two, 3-year campaigns on priority AHRQ consumer messages on communicating with health care providers and getting the right preventive care tests.

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Marketing

Building on the tactics listed above to build awareness, OCKT undertakes long-term marketing of AHRQ research and products. We develop marketing plans that encompass different levels of effort and outreach to a range of audiences. We work with partners and stakeholders to maximize our marketing outreach and potential. We use a number of marketing techniques, including those listed below.

Web Marketing

Although direct mail is used as part of the Agency's marketing, increasingly we are using E-mail and outreach through the Internet to reach audiences. It saves money and can be more immediate. Our goal is to encourage our partners and other organizations to link to products on the AHRQ Web site or to post notices of AHRQ products and findings on their Web sites.

Partnerships

Over the years, OCKT has been very successful at leveraging our resources through partnerships. OCKT has developed hundreds of partnerships with groups such as AARP and United Healthcare on significant topics and products that have helped promote the Agency very widely.

Direct Mail

Although newer dissemination techniques are taking hold, there is still a place for "snail mail" in marketing. There are audiences who still like to receive a hard copy of a document, and it is effective for larger publications. OCKT mails products or marketing fliers to appropriate organizations and audiences.

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Additional Information

To discuss specific issues or obtain additional guidance on media and marketing outreach, contact:

Alison Hunt
Health Communications Specialist
Office of Communications and Knowledge Transfer
Email: alison.hunt@ahrq.hhs.gov
Phone: (301) 427-1244

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