Health Promotion Dates and Campaign Ideas

Creative Program Promotion Ideas
You can put your own stamp of uniqueness on a program through the promotions and incentives you use.

Here are some ideas to get you going:
1. Scheduling
The campaign will probably draw more participants if it coincides with a community event or national awareness week.
Consider:
A. Smoking: Great American Smokeout in November
B. Weight Loss: Getting in shape for summer or New Year's Resolution
C. Physical Activity: When the weather is mild
D. Healthy Eating: Avoid major holidays
For national or state observances: www.health.gov/nhic

2. Campaign Kick-Offs
A. Send invitations creatively packaged to tie in with the campaign theme.
B. Create a pep-rally style event with cheerleaders, school bands, floats, etc.
C. Have a political celebration on the steps of city hall, with the mayor making a public proclamation read at a city council public meeting.
D. Make it Personal- Have sponsors, donors, volunteers, and participants make a "human heart or gather "empty shoes" to signify lives lost to disease for a video public service announcement.
E. Go to the Crowd- Don't try to create a crowd -go to a place where crowds gather, like a shopping mall or large worksite.

3. The Campaign
A. Create contests of competition when possible and appropriate.
B. Award prizes donated by community merchants, and give them free publicity in your campaign materials.
C. Arrange large groups of people together to make the competition more manageable.
- This will also allow you to award more prizes. For example, have elementary schools compete, large worksites, small worksites, etc.
D. Use the Media- Have volunteers spot a few participants each week and recognize them on radio and/or TV.
E. Sponsor a heart-healthy cook-off (choose food items appropriate for you target group) or cooking school.
- Use a cooking school or cooking demonstration as a campaign finale.
F. Hand out recipes and free samples.
G. Make a community heart-healthy cookbook.

4. Other Promotion Ideas
A. Design a logo that can be used for various campaigns, so that each one is more easily identified with your organization.
B. Promote- Never miss an opportunity to put your logo on items that will reach your target audience.
C. Initiate fitness campaigns- Award t-shirts, tote bags, water bottles, visors, sweat bands, gift certificates, etc.
D. Have a nutrition campaign- Give out aprons, recipe cards, and magnets.
E.Give Aways- Hand out heart-healthy food and recipes at the local farmers' market.
F. Find Displays- Check with your local chamber of commerce to see if they have a business fair, offer to set up a booth, or have a booth at the county fair.
G. Use "personal contact" booths in various locations throughout the community to sign up participants for the campaign. Booths should be attractive, of course, and staffed by outgoing, enthusiastic volunteers.
H. Have booths at worksites in locations like the cafeteria or lobby.

5. Work with News Media
A. Change messages every week of the campaign to make it newsworthy.
B. Always have an activity (cooking or exercise demonstration) for television talk shows. The media like action!
C. Study your local newspaper to see where your campaign news might fit- a health and fitness page, the food page, or lifestyle section.
D. Find out who edits those pages, and approach the editor with a package of material written by local experts.
E. Ask a radio station to do a live remote broadcast from the site of one of your activities.
F. Have radio stations read the names of a few campaign participants each hour, to recognize them and give them community support.
G. Feed the information to the stations in short (5 to 15 second) bits each week, delivered in person.

6. Volunteers
A. Award prizes to most volunteers. For example, the volunteer who signs up the most smokers could win a trip.
B. Feed Them- Get a local restaurant (or a campaign sponsor) to donate luncheons, dinners, or banquets to help you recruit volunteers or to reward them after the campaign.