Example: Fischer Communications consulted with Nutrition Services/Alameda County Department of Public Health to develop a multi-pronged social marketing campaign, Healthy Living…for Life! By targeting individuals, communities and policy makers, the campaign led to the development of Healthy Living Councils for Seniors, social marketing materials such as the Passport To Healthy Living and a number of community-based events.
Result: Thousands of Alameda County residents participated in the many activities provided throughout the campaign. Field Research, Inc., found that the campaign increased consumption of fruits and vegetables and had a strong, measurable impact on individuals’ lives. More than 80% of the individuals who used the Passports reported a positive change in their healthy behaviors.
Example: The Bay Area Air Quality Management District was experiencing increasing difficulty engaging Limited English Proficiency (LEP) audiences in community outreach and meeting federal guidelines for community engagement. The District retained Fischer Communications to conduct a communications audit and develop strategies to reach LEP audiences.
Result: Conducted a study that determined the most effective information channels for the multitude of LEP residents in the greater bay area. The study included suggestions for more effective outreach as well as a comprehensive list of community organizations that serve LEP populations.
Example: Increased violence on public transportation in Environmental Justice communities highlighted the need for transportation decision-makers and young men between the ages of 18 and 25 to communicate more effectively with one another.
Result: In a groundbreaking project funded by a CalTrans Environmental Justice grant, empowered young people to become active transportation advocates in their communities and helped transportation decision-makers communicate with this audience, integrating local concerns about safety and security into transportation decision-making.
Example: Older adults were trained by Fischer Communications to become community advocates at Alameda County’s Leadership Circle, sponsored by the Senior Services Coalition of Alameda County. The group hosted policy forums with local officials, wrote opinion editorials and traveled to Sacramento to save funding for key senior services.
Result: Funding for a variety of services for seniors was preserved at the state level. In addition, Oakland city council members began an ongoing commitment to resolve local issues that affected older adults.
Example: Fischer Communications developed a media campaign to help the California Women, Infants and Children’s (WIC) Association gain wide media coverage for a study assessing California hospitals’ support of breastfeeding. Work included the development of press releases and opinion editorials that could be customized by local WIC agencies as well as key messages about the issue. Fischer Communications also conducted telephone trainings to help WIC representatives access the media and successfully participate in interviews with the press.
Result: Media coverage of the study was widespread throughout California and included articles in the local, state and national press. Participants in the trainings supported the statewide campaign by localizing template press releases and opinion editorials. Participants reported increased confidence in their ability to access and speak to the media.
Example: The stigma and discrimination associated with mental health challenges were preventing individuals and their families from seeking appropriate assistance, particularly in the large Spanish-speaking community in Marin County as well as with African Americans and older adults.
Result: Conducted message development and spokesperson training for mental health providers and consumers, as well as an extensive media campaign. The campaign more than tripled media stories in print and electronic media in both English and Spanish.
Example: Fischer Communications developed a strategic communications plan for FIRST 5 Santa Clara County to position the organization as a strong advocate for young children and their families. The plan included key informant interviews with community leaders, representatives from children’s agencies, parents and FIRST 5 employees as well as a day-long, interactive planning session with Santa Clara’s FIRST 5 Commission and its partner agencies.
Result: The final plan included redesigning the program’s web site, implementing a county-wide public awareness campaign, and initiating a training program for FIRST 5 partner agencies that positioned the organization as a local champion for children. As the resulting campaign rolled out, FIRST 5 Santa Clara County increased its visibility dramatically.
Example: Y2K Crisis Communications Planning for Travis Credit Union included informational newsletters to members to ensure that members had the information they needed and understood that their money was safe.
Result: Nearly every credit union member retained the funds in his/her account, and the credit union was positioned as a proactive organization that put its members first.
Example: Psychologists – rather than psychiatrists – were much more likely to be quoted as experts in the press, and psychiatrists were often portrayed in the media as distant and cold. The Northern California Psychiatric Society (NCPS) wanted to increase the presence of psychiatrists in the media and encourage depictions of psychiatrists as approachable professionals.
Result: Within the first year of Fischer Communications’ work with NCPS, the number of media interviews with psychiatrists tripled, and reporters continued to call on psychiatrists as experts during the decade Fischer Communications worked with NCPS. In addition, outreach following the California Bay Area’s Loma Prieta Earthquake resulted in more than $1million worth of earned media.
Example: Gladman Memorial Hospital historically had difficulty recruiting troubled teenagers for a day treatment program for adolescents with emotional problems. Using information from informal focus groups as well as interviews with hospital personnel, Fischer Communications created a colorful direct mail piece — Teenage Tools for Change — that targeted teenagers and their parents.
Result: For the first time in the history of the facility, staff was added to accommodate increased enrollment, and the facility had a waiting list for its summer program.
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