Director, Lead for Study Management Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association Annapolis, Maryland, United States
Background/Case Studies: Each October, International Plasma Awareness Week (IPAW) is a global initiative aimed at raising awareness about the critical role of plasma donation in saving lives. The campaign, spearheaded by the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Association (PPTA), has traditionally focused on educational outreach through media, social platforms, and community engagement. However, for over the past decade, the campaign featured dated graphics and visuals, and a copy/paste approach each year, without much re-envisioning for new audiences and current communications strategies and needs. In 2024, the PPTA team and members recognized there was an opportunity to enhance the IPAW campaign and its reach and effectiveness by revising and expanding the existing strategy.
Study
Design/Methods: National and regional media broadcasts were expanded to include television and radio. Digitally, a new website, www.plasmaweek.org, was launched as the central hub for the campaign, offering resources including educational materials and downloadable and customizable assets for audiences around the world. Social media efforts were intensified with a calculated and strategic social media campaign, with PPTA, its members, and patient group partners actively engaging during the campaign using the hashtag #IPAW2024. Additionally, targeted paid social ads and microsite features, such as targeted pop-ups and designated content paths were employed to drive interaction and clicks, while targeted outreach on college campuses sought to engage student demographics.
Results/Findings: The revised IPAW campaign saw growth across all areas of media and digital engagement. The total media outreach for IPAW 2024 reached a global audience of 3.945 million, including TV, radio, online platforms, and media coverage expanded by over 43%, reaching an audience of 1,072,329 in 2024, compared to 748,500 in 2023. Television and radio broadcasts increased from 13 in 2023 to 40 in 2024. Web traffic to www.plasmaweek.orgresulted in over 4,000 visitors and an average stay of 1.5 minutes per user. Social media efforts led to a 18582% increase in organic impressions, a 174% rise in engagement, and a 73% growth in new followers across PPTA's platforms. Paid social ads resulted in an 186% increase in clicks. Lastly, media outreach to college campuses alone resulted in 1,000 clicks to the microsite. Conclusions: The revised and improved IPAW 2024 campaign achieved substantial increases in media reach, digital engagement, and social media interaction. Further research is needed to understand any correlations between the increases in IPAW engagements and any increases in plasma donation. The campaign’s ability to engage diverse audiences, particularly younger individuals through targeted college campus outreach, represents a successful foundation for future campaigns, with the goal of increasing plasma donations globally.
