SOLVE IT goes on Red Alert!
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| Client: |
 |
Solve It |
| PR Team: |
Red Alert Media |
| Campaign: |
First national conference to discuss
Volatile Solvent Abuse |
| Timescale: |
September to November, 2003 |
| Budget: |
"Limited"! |
Solve It is a Kettering based charity, set up by chief
executive Barbara Skinner, a year after her son died
from inhaling volatile substances. Barbara has since
dedicated her life to raising awareness to the dangers
of sniffing glues, spray from aerosol cans, and other
substances, such as nail varnish. Earlier this year,
Solve It resolved to build a national network, and spread
their message far and wide across the UK. But media
interest has always been sparse, so they asked Red Alert
Media to help them raise interest to coincide with their
first national conference.
Objectives
To raise awareness of the dangers of volatile substance
abuse as far and wide as possible.
Strategy and plan
Red Alert Media's Peter Jones gathered together Barbara
Skinner, Solve It's marketing director Steve Lambert,
and a number of volunteers - all of them former addicts,
and some of them ex-prisoners, whose drug habits and
eventual incarceration all started with solvent abuse.
He interviewed all of them individually and put together
a comprehensive Press Pack a month before the conference,
on November 13, and then followed up with phone calls,
e-mails and letters to generate interest. Initially
the local media in Northamptonshire did feature items
ahead of the conference, but the ambition was national
coverage, and that was the challenge. There was no money
for advertising, marketing or gimmicks - it was all
down to finding the right angles and selling the story!
Measurement and evaluation
The outcome of lots of hard work and selling was coverage
beyond all hope and expectation. Radio 5 Live discussed
solvent abuse on the Friday before the conference, and
that week there were preview features and items in the
local newspapers. But on the day itself, the issue of
solvent abuse suddenly attracted star billing. GMTV
interviewed Barbara and then discussed solvent abuse
with Dr Hillary Jones. Barbara and one of her volunteers
were featured on Radio 5 Live's breakfast show, with
clips then sent out to BBC local radio stations throughout
the country.
Indeed, the Solve It conference was the second item
in Radio 5's news headlines, and featured in bulletins
on Radios 1, 2, 3 and 4. Barbara was also interviewed
on Good Morning Scotland, and Radio Northampton were
live from her home during their breakfast programme.
Throughout the day, Barbara, Steve Lambert and former
prisoner turned Solve It volunteer Chris Toone were
interviewed by Independent Radio News (IRN), and featured
on independent stations across the country.
An item ran all through the day on BBC News 24, it
was the lead item on Newsround, it featured on Radio
1's Newsbeat, regional TV did live interviews at lunchtime
and in their early evening programmes, BBC Online did
a report on the conference and the issues it raised,
and there was also a feature on the Newsround website.
Apart from on the day coverage, Red Alert Media also
generated follow up stories, so the conference continued
to feature in the media days after.
Results
Said Barbara Skinner: "Suddenly it seemed that
everyone has heard about Solve It, and talking about
the very serious issues were are trying to make the
public aware of. We've been taking calls ever since
from people all over the country, that either heard
about us on the radio, saw the items on TV or read about
us. It's been phenomenal, and hopefully will help us
save more young lives."
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