Campaigns that work: The Monster-Free Mouths Movement

What you need to know before planning your next PR campaign

In public relations, we talk a lot about strategic plans and the advantages of various campaigns. However, very little is said about what a successful campaign actually looks like, how you measure its success and the benefits you can achieve.

To help, Axia Public Relations will periodically discuss some of the Public Relations Society of America’s (PRSA) award-winning campaigns and how you can use the information to develop your own profitable promotions. We also hope to shed some light on the importance of and techniques used in measurement.

American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry

In 2015, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry won a PRSA Silver Anvil Award for its Monster-Free Mouths Movement. The organization won in the category for programs that advance public understanding of societal issues and problems.

The Monster-Free Mouths Movement was a consumer awareness campaign designed to instill a sense of urgency in parents and caregivers about the importance of healthy teeth for the overall development and well-being of children. This campaign incorporated social and digital elements, celebrity and expert spokespersons and creative programs to educate parents and give them the necessary tools to fight tooth decay and other oral diseases.

Your company can get started on your own campaign by determining what goal you wish to achieve, who your target audience will be and how this effort will relate to and advance your overall mission. Once you have decided this, you can establish the scope of the project, what tools you will use and develop a realistic budget.

The details

The Academy launched a two-day media tour with a well-known parenting advisor and mom and used its website to offer free downloads of a Monster Mouth Defense Kit to parents with a printable brushing tracker and reward certificates. It introduced creative characters called Mouth Monsters (Tooth D.K and Ginger Bite-Us) to engage kids and used social media to encourage parents to interact and share experiences.

For your company’s campaign, it is important to utilize owned media, such as your website and social media pages to maximum advantage. Also, take the time to find out what your audience needs in order to get involved. Communicating the right message in the best way to each segment of your audience is the key to the success of any campaign. In addition, make sure that what you are communicating is interesting, valuable and newsworthy.

The outcome

This campaign garnered news coverage in several national media outlets as well as targeted publications such as Working Mother, WebMD and SheKnows.com. Its spokesperson represented the cause well with dozens of interviews and social media posts, which gained about half of a million impressions. Additionally, the Academy’s Facebook community grew from 6,300 to 36,300, website traffic increased 60 percent and its YouTube video was viewed more than 80,000 times.

In addition to these numbers, the campaign proved successful in other, less tangible ways. For example, the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry is now recognized as the authoritative source for pediatric oral health, and the media frequently uses its information when discussing the subject. It also received positive responses from its members.

When measuring your company’s own campaigns, it is important to establish a clear list of objectives at the beginning of the campaign and to decide what criteria you will use to determine whether these goals were met. It is also beneficial to use public relations tools as a guide.

At Axia Public Relations, we use PR PRoof, a seven-step strategic planning, measurement and reporting approach to determine the impact and results of PR campaigns. To find out why 100 percent of our clients would recommend us to others, contact us today or download our e-book, Maximizing Your Public Relations Investment.

Lisa Goldsberry is a writer for Axia Public Relations with more than 15 years of public relations experience. She specializes in business and technology PR. Lisa has worked for Axia since December 2013. Learn more about Lisa Goldsberry. Connect with Axia on Twitter @axiapr or tell us what you think in the comments below.