CASE STUDY: Oregon Department of Human Services – Got Polyps? Campaign

Colorectal cancer is the second leading cancer killer in Oregon for both men and women. Unlike other cancers, this deadly disease can be prevented with screening. Yet, fewer than half of those at-risk get screened as recommended. Pac/West, in partnership with the Oregon Department of Human Services (DHS), launched a statewide public outreach campaign in 2008 dubbed Got Polyps? to elevate colorectal cancer as a major health issue and to promote screening and early detection.

With a total budget of $97,500 from March 2008 through June 2009, Pac/West employed an integrated, two-track campaign approach that harnessed both earned and paid media to raise the public profile of colorectal cancer and importance of screening. At the onset of the campaign, Pac/West worked closely with DHS staff on the development of a comprehensive strategic communications plan that detailed campaign objectives, messaging, key geographical areas, target audiences and outreach strategies.

With the launch of Got Polyps? in April 2008, Pac/West worked across the state on a variety of earned and paid media outreach activities. As a means of fueling these efforts, Pac/West secured the involvement of partners ranging from hospitals and physician groups to health associations.

Got Polyps? Earned Media Results
Efforts to grab news headlines on behalf of the Got Polyps? Campaign generated $400,215 in print, TV and radio news coverage (according to PRtrak, an online evaluation tool). In addition to covering the launch of the campaign, statewide media attention was also given to a live colonoscopy staged in Portland aimed at demystifying colorectal cancer screening. Other earned media generated by Pac/West included features about colon cancer survivors, health columns authored by physicians and stories about American Cancer Society Colon Cancer Free Zones at Relay for Life events run by rural and urban media outlets. Additional earned media efforts centered on the public display of a 20-foot inflatable Super Colon, virtual colonoscopy and making use of the Gubernatorial Proclamation of April 2009 as Colorectal Cancer Screening Month.

Got Polyps? Paid Media Results
Paid media secured for the Got Polyps? Campaign included both placement of the CDC Screen for Life PSAs on TV and radio stations, as well as print ads in newspapers and senior/boomer publications. Nearly half of Oregon broadcast stations ran the Screen for Life PSAs at no cost to the campaign.

Additionally, the campaign also created a print ad playing off the Got Polyps? theme. Partners, including Legacy Health Systems, Oregon Medical Association, DCIPA: The Physicians of Douglas County, Columbia Memorial Hospital and the Mid-Rouge Independent Physicians Association, paid for placement in local publications. Newspapers throughout the Portland metro area also ran the ad at no cost.