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SIDS and Kids SA - 2011 Red Nose Day
The situation. SIDS and Kids SA is dedicated to saving the lives of babies and children during pregnancy, birth, infancy and childhood and supporting bereaved families.
In mid 2010 Annual Reports from the Child Death and Serious Injury Review Committee showed that while one death was attributed to co-sleeping in 2006, this number rose to 5 deaths in 2009. SIDS and Kids SA themselves reported that they provided counseling to five South Australian families that had lost a child in a co-sleeping related death over the previous year.
SIDS and Kids SA required the support of a professional PR company to raise awareness of these issues and their work with affected families to coincide with their principal fundraiser, Red Nose Day. In the weeks leading up to Red Nose Day 2011 Hughes PR worked closely with SIDS and Kids SA to deliver a comprehensive publicity and communications strategy.
Objectives. Key objectives of the communications campaign were to:
- Raise awareness of SIDS and Kids and its work in South Australia
- Raise awareness of an increase in deaths attributed to co-sleeping in SA
- Educate the SA general public and in particular new parents on the most appropriate sleeping arrangements for their young children
- Encourage support for and donations to Red Nose Day 2011
Elements. Key activity included:
- Instigating two major media calls; one on Red Nose Day itself at the home of a local new mother with SIDS and Kids Acting State Manager Maurissa Ailion as the key spokesperson, and the other focusing on the Red Nose Day Parade
- Identifying and liaising with key media through the writing and distribution of media releases and factsheets, and responding to media enquiries on behalf of SIDS and Kids.
- Coordinating breakfast radio drops of Red Nose Day information, cupcakes and red noses.
- Consulting with the Credit Union Christmas Pageant towards an article which ran in Adelaide Confidential in The Advertiser on Red Nose Day encouraging people to keep their red noses for a world record attempt on Pageant day.
Hughes PR also demonstrated their own support of Red Nose Day through Hughes PR social media platforms including Twitter, Facebook and Flickr and in the monthly newsletter, Hughes News.
Outcome. The Red Nose Day media call located at the home of a new mother with SIDS and Kids Acting State Manager Maurissa Ailion as a spokesperson culminated in coverage across all three Adelaide commercial TV stations, Channel 7, Channel 9 and Channel 10, and an article in The Advertiser.
Other publicity highlights included an interview with Maurissa Ailion on Amanda Blair’s Afternoons program, a photo and article with Adelaide Cabaret Festival performers wearing red noses in The Advertiser’s Adelaide Confidential, an interview with Maxine Weber on regional radio station 5 THE FM, regional media coverage of Red Nose Day and local events, and metropolitan radio exposure. The Red Nose Day Parade was covered by three Adelaide TV stations, 7 News, ABC and Channel 9.
SIDS and Kids SA report that as a result of this media coverage they received an increased volume in enquires from the general public and received a high level of positive feedback on their safe sleeping campaign.
Testimonial. “We found our working relationship with Hughes PR to be responsive and sensitive to our needs here at SIDS and Kids and the publicity exposure in the community was noticed and very positively received."
Maurissa Ailion, SIDS and Kids Acting State Manager
