addicted to life information campaign. the project in brief source of funding: dg justice, drug...
TRANSCRIPT
Addicted To Life Addicted To Life information information campaigncampaign
The project in briefThe project in brief
• Source of funding: DG Justice, Drug Prevention and Information Program 2007-2013
• Target groups: young adults, media, NGOs, state and municipal institutions.
• Partners: 5 organizations from 4 different European countries
• Duration: 24 months
The partnersThe partners
Initiative for Health Foundation, Sofia, Bulgaria
International Healthcare and Health Insurance Institute, Sofia Bulgaria
Actions for Citizenship and Health Education - A.C.C.E.S., Marseille, France
Healthy Options Project Skopje - H.O.P.S., Skopje, Macedonia
Blue Point Drug Counseling and Outpatient Center, Budapest, Hungary
Context and rationaleContext and rationale
• Amphetamines are among the first as a drug of choice for experimental and recreational drug use in Eastern Europe
• Experimental and recreational drug users learn on a relatively late stage about risks and harms related to use of stimulants
• Media have a key role in raising awareness and shaping attitudes among general society
• Health and social aspects of drug use remain underreported in media
What we aimed at?What we aimed at?
• Increase the collaboration between NGOs and media in the field of amphetamine use
• Involve media more actively in informing the general society about health and social aspects of amphetamine use
• Increase knowledge of health journalists about amphetamine use and all associated risks
• Improve the quality of information about amphetamines and their use in the media
• Raise awareness among experimental and recreational drug users about the health risks
What was our approach?What was our approach?
• Work out common information materials in 5 languages
• Work out media kits and pool useful resources for young journalists from each of the countries
• Develop a multilanguage web portal as a main communication channel to disseminate the materials
• Carry out extensive campaign to promote the website and attract the attention of media
The information campaign: The information campaign: Media outreachMedia outreach
• International training for journalists
• Media contest
• Manual for media and NGO’s
• Establishing media partnerships
• Regular press releases
Information campaign:Information campaign:IInternet outreachnternet outreach
• Keeping the website alive• Using Google ads• Facebook group• Chain emails for 26th of June• Wikipedia• Online game communities• SEO optimization• Media partnerships and banner exchange
Results achievedResults achieved
• Up to 40 young journalists from 4 countries trained in health and social aspects related to drug use
• Up to 200 journalists in 4 countries received information about the project
• Up to 200 media kits disseminated• 16 media partnerships established• www.addicted2life.eu appears among the first 10 in
Google search results, if you type “амфетамини”• Following the extensive advertising campaign visits have
increased 50-70 times in the 2nd half of the project• 36 participants with 44 materials, participating in the
international media contest
Media outreach: what works?Media outreach: what works?
• Training and contest – good way to attract journalists attention;
• Active identifying and outreach of interested journalists
• Regular press releases on appropriate occasions can lead to more publications
• Establishing media partnerships
Media outreach: lessons learnedMedia outreach: lessons learned
• It is more easy to work with young journalists in the beginning of their career
• Media contest or training alone does not stimulate more writing on the topic
• Contest and training foster healthy and sustainable relationships between NGO’s and media
• Health and social aspects of drug use might be marginal topic for big national media, but are welcomed in regional and lifestyle media
What works: internet outreachWhat works: internet outreach
• The social networks
• SE optimization – registration in web directories
• Banner exchange
• Wikipedia
• Chain emails
Internet outreach: lessons Internet outreach: lessons learnedlearned
• Internet allows replication, scaling-up and extension in time
• To become highly visible a website needs well planned and implemented advertising campaign
• Multilanguage site needs active content management and update for each language version
• Static content cannot attract interest and has high bounce rates
Thank you for your attention!Thank you for your attention!
www.addicted2life.eu
Atanas Rusev,Project coordinator,
International Healthcare and Health Insurance Institute