On 2nd April 2012, we conducted a multi-platform broadcast campaign to raise awareness of Bayer Animal Health's annual 'Be Lungworm Aware' campaign, across radio, TV and online media. TV vet Luke Gamble and Crufts commentator/Blue Peter legend Peter Purves were enlisted as spokespeople for the campaign and we also brokered a partnership with leading animal charity, the Blue Cross, using their Victoria Animal Hospital as the location for an outside broadcast on the launch day.
The activity comprised radio interviews and a live, streamed webTV on location at the Animal Hospital. The availability of case studies, including an owner whose dog had survived lungworm, also meant we secured coverage on Daybreak. Across the remainder of Lungworm Awareness Month we placed pre-recorded educational video content across websites along with 50 audio features on commercial stations, UK-wide.
The live webTV show was a 5-camera, 5 spokesperson event held in the middle of the working animal hospital and streamed across 18 websites, as well as the Be Lungworm Aware Facebook page. A link on the lungworm.co.uk website directed viewers to the Facebook page to watch the show and during all of their morning radio interviews Luke and Peter directed listeners to Facebook for the afternoon’s broadcast. Subsequent to the live broadcast we also edited an on-demand version of the show for sustained coverage and message delivery throughout the month.
Overall we achieved a total of 40 items of coverage on the launch day including Daybreak, BBC Wales and LBC FM. Other highlights included a live interview with vet Luke Gamble on BBC Bristol’s drive time show, an interview with the BBC South West hub (broadcasting to four regional BBC stations) and further interviews with large regional BBC stations such as BBC Solent, BBC Newcastle and BBC West Midlands. Luke also travelled back to London on the evening of the 5th April to appear live on Jo Good’s BBC London show, Barking at the Moon.
The launch day coverage included 18 websites that were live with the webTV show when we went to air at 4pm including parenting, lifestyle and more niche dog websites and blogs/social media. Subsequent coverage was achieved using the pre-recorded educational video features on a range of sites including The Daily Record, Patient Experience, the Petstreet blog and Primary Times amongst others.
A total of 109 items of broadcast coverage were placed throughout Lungworm Awareness Month, delivering a potential audience reach in excess of 15 million people.