Modifying Tactics to Help Mayo Clinic Succeed: A Lesson in PR

Today’s insights come courtesy of Nallely Moreno of our GLOBALHealthPR Mexico partner, PRPartners.  

Throughout the world, the Mayo Clinic is known as a top source for scientific research and medical education and care. Because the media already uses Mayo Clinic as a reference, the organization has a distinct advantage when it has news. Whereas traditionally, a press release is not sufficient to gain media attention, the Mayo Clinic has an already-primed audience watching for news. In 2012 alone, we managed to get 627 stories and articles published for the Mayo Clinic.

A client as well-known and prolific as the Mayo Clinic demands an excellent PR team; since beginning with them in 2003 they have continually challenged our agency to provide top-notch service.  Most recently, we worked on promoting a series of videos that they produced earlier this year. The series was a patient campaign specially directed to Latin America, called “Historias Mayo” (Mayo Stories). The Mayo Clinic requested that we promote the video series through broadcast channels so that the videos would reach as many people as possible. The project was complicated by the nature of the videos; instead of portraying the newsworthy information typical of the Mayo Clinic, they showed a more personal, human side to physicians and patients. While the series is incredibly produced and inspiring to view, they were more oriented to patients than for media.

In this case, the press release with the link to the videos did not attract attention and for the first few months the media took little interest in the series. We had to pitch the stories behind the series and really focus on what the series would mean to medicine and patients. The strategy required time and dedication, but finally succeeded. It was a dedicated strategy that took some time, but finally came through. We accomplished forty original stories, mostly on television and ranging from the most widely-viewed channels, to more specialized local health broadcasts.

How do we measure the success of this case?

Editorial work and communication campaigns cannot be measured like they used to be, using methods that often limited the results of a campaign to advertising equivalence or publicity and outreach. Our measurement system allows us to include in the metrics all the things that are relevant for each client. This could include: media classification, the placement of the information, inclusion of product shots, mention of certain messages or brands, etc. With this metric system, we’re able to offer a comprehensive analysis with indicators that provide a true picture of the real impact that PR work has in terms of positioning and brand equity.

In the end, the results obtained from the “Historias Mayo” campaign were excellent. The obtained publications measured above 9 in the PRP metrics system (the highest achievement for a campaign or publication measurement is 10). By understanding why the media hesitated portraying the series, we were able to use a different tactic with the media and ultimately sell the series for what it was: a meaningful addition to the healthcare community.

About the author: Nallely Moreno is Area Director, Pharma, for PRPartners in Mexico City, Mexico.