You have a message with which you want to reach as many people as possible and motivate them to take concrete action? Then an awareness campaign is the tool of choice. In this blog post, agency manager Sabine Pöhacker explains the objectives of such a campaign, how it should be implemented to achieve the greatest possible response – and which important topic comm:unications has recently helped to attract media attention.

What are awareness campaigns?
The aim of an awareness campaign is to create awareness of an issue among the general public, to convey information about it and to encourage people to actively engage with the issue. To achieve these goals, the campaign must attract attention and contain elements that are picked up by the media. One example is events that encourage people to get involved and provide journalists with images and opportunities for reporting. The involvement of well-known personalities in the campaign, such as celebrities, influencers, politicians or scientists, also generates interest.

Example of a successful awareness campaign
At the beginning of September 2024, comm:unications publicized the “Healthy Lungs for Life” campaign in Austria, which has been promoting lung health worldwide for 10 years. As part of a 360-degree campaign, the agency implemented media-effective measures for our clients, the European Respiratory Society (ERS) and the European Lung Foundation (ELF), in cooperation with partners in science and politics to raise awareness of the importance of healthy lungs from an early age.

These measures included

• a two-day event in the Vienna Prater, where people aged six and over could test their lung function free of charge,
• two action days at three Viennese schools, where children and young people carried out lung tests in an American school bus and learned about lung health through play,
• a press conference at which a long-term study on the health of over 15,000 people was presented as part of the ERS Congress held at the same time,
• several press releases before, during and after the action days and
  positively associated, emotional subjects with children and balloons, which promoted the campaign on social media and elsewhere

The result: “Healthy Lungs for Life” generated an enormous response from the public and the media.
At times, people queued up in the Prater to have their lung function tested free of charge; in total, more than 550 people took part in the campaign on the Ferris wheel square. 200 lung tests were carried out in schools – and “Healthy Lungs for Life” was featured almost 100 times in the media.

Why the support of a PR agency is important
The conception and implementation of a successful awareness campaign requires know-how and experience – which makes comm:unications the right partner for your project. After 28 years on the market, we are one of the leading PR agencies in Austria with excellent contacts to the media and decision-makers as well as bundled expertise in planning, implementation and measuring success. Get in touch with us!

Photo: (C) European Lung Foundation