Company: Outreach Strategists, LLC
Company Description: Outreach Strategists, one of Texas's largest marketing and public relations firms, is a proven leader in providing strategic communications services for corporations, nonprofit organizations and government entities. With more than 35 associates and senior media and marketing experts, our diverse team has the experience, relationships, and judgment to tackle the most complex challenges.
Nomination Category: Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, & Public Relations Categories
Nomination Sub Category: Communications or PR Campaign of the Year - Social Media Focused
 Nomination Title: The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Maternal Child Health Unit Safe Infant Sleep and Breastfeeding Campaign
- Optional: Reference any attachments of supporting materials throughout this nomination and how they provide evidence of the claims you have made in this nomination (up to 250 words):
Total 55 words used.
*The comprehensive landscape analysis conducted prior to developing the social media campaign is included in the supplemental materials.
*The planning document used to determine the creative, timing and targeted social media channels is included in the supplemental materials.
*Examples of the creative and the results for the highest-performing ads are included in the supplemental material.
- Which will you submit for this nomination, a video of up to five (5) minutes in length about the nominated PR campaign or program, or written answers to the questions? (Choose one):
Written answers to the questions
- If you are submitting a video of up to five (5) minutes in length, provide the URL of the nominated video here, OR attach it to your entry via the "Add Attachments, Videos, or Links to This Entry" link above, through which you may also upload a copy of your video.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this first question: Specify the date on which this campaign or program was launched:
September 26, 2022
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this second question: Describe the genesis of the nominated campaign or program: the reasons it was initiated, the challenges it was created to address, the problems it was developed to solve, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 174 words used.
The United States has one of the highest infant mortality rates among developed countries, as each year, about 3,500 infants die from sleep-related deaths in the U.S. Research and science repeatedly show that the adoption of continuous breastfeeding and the implementation of safe infant sleep practices are linked to reducing sleep-related deaths.
In an effort to reduce the number of infant deaths and to educate and support new moms on the benefits of breastfeeding, the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS), in partnership with Outreach Strategists, launched a statewide social media and digital outreach initiative to engage communities around Safe Infant Sleep and Breastfeeding Practices.
Based on established research and data, DSHS and Outreach Strategists recognized that to improve health outcomes for mothers and children, the goal was to educate and engage everyone in a child’s surrounding ecosystem while encouraging institutions to support, model, and inform health-promoting life practices. In order to create an effective campaign, Outreach Strategists sought to identify and address the methods and means of building this support.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this third question: Describe the development of the campaign or program: the planning process, the goal setting, the creative and media development, the scheduling, etc. (up to 250 words):
Total 209 words used.
Outreach Strategists set out to develop a social media campaign to address the challenges parents and caregivers face. The campaign strategy included the following:
- Promote awareness among parents and infant caregivers about (1) safe infant sleep and (2) breastfeeding;
- Promote awareness and use among employers, hospitals, and public health partners about evidence-based strategies to increase (1) breastfeeding support and (2) safe infant sleep; and
- Position DSHS Maternal and Child Health Unit’s (MCHU) Maternal and Infant Health Branch as a trusted source of reliable and actionable information and resources that public health partners and other key audiences can use to promote infant health and safety across Texas.
Outreach Strategists developed a high impression and frequency social media campaign, reaching key audiences: infant caregivers, public health partners, and hospital leaders. Creative for the social media included seven motion images and two videos in English and Spanish.
The campaign included Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn Ads, which ran from the end of September 2022 to early December 2022. By geotargeting high-risk areas for high-risk areas for infant mortality, caregivers, health partners, hospital leaders, obstetrics-serving and children’s hospitals, the campaign reached the target audience with specificity and precision. The KPIs tracked included reach & traffic on Facebook and Instagram, and website visits on LinkedIn.
- If you are providing written answers for your submission, you must provide an answer to this fourth question: Outline the activities and concrete results of this campaign or program since the beginning of 2021. Even if your initiative started before 2021, limit your response to activities and results since the beginning of 2021 only (up to 250 words):
Total 111 words used.
The life-saving work of this social media campaign raised awareness of protective sleep and supportive breastfeeding practices that can save lives of babies across the state of Texas as determined by results:
[REDACTED FOR PUBLICATION]
| Attachments/Videos/Links: |
|---|
|
