How 2,000 Sydneysiders had a “big breakfast” and learnt about the importance of iodine for thyroid health…

Ok, we get that thyroid health isn’t actually a dinner party conversation piece, but in 2009 Ogilvy PR Health proudly partnered with the Australian Thyroid Foundation, Australia’s peak advocacy group for people with thyroid disorders to put dietary iodine and good thyroid health on the map.

The Big Breakfast is an awareness and fund raising public relations initiative for the Australian Thyroid Foundation that is held annually at Martin Place on the morning of 27 October.

Ogilvy PR Health’s goal was to further enhance the profile of the Australian Thyroid Foundation as the leading advocacy and support organisation for people with thyroid conditions, while positioning the organisation as the number one source of information on thyroid disease.

The public relations objective, to raise awareness about the importance of dietary iodine for good thyroid health and to raise funds for the Australian Thyroid Foundation, was achieved with the help of celebrity chefs Manu Feildel and Dominique Rizzo, who kindly dedicated their time and resources to cook a healthy, iodine-rich breakfast for over 2,000 Sydneysiders who arrived at the Big Breakfast.

Beverley Garside, president of the Australian Thyroid Foundation and Professor Cresswell Eastman, Chief Medical Advisor for the Australian Thyroid Foundation, chaired the event and educated the public about iodine enriched foods such as eggs, seafood and bread and the importance of a sufficient dietary intake of iodine to support healthy thyroid function.

For a gold coin donation, people from Sydney could treat themselves to breakfast cooked by the fabulous chefs and to free thyroid and iodine information from a team of dedicated volunteers who spoke to the public about thyroid health.

With record funds raised for the Australian Thyroid Foundation, it was not just the media and the fundraising that achieved its goals – but importantly what was in the breakfast that started the day for 2,000 Sydneysiders that helped to encourage good thyroid health.

Examples of iodine-rich foods include:

• Bread
• Milk
• Eggs
• Seafood
• Iodised salt
• Plants grown in iodine-rich soil

Find out more at www.thyroidfoundation.com.au

A landmark decision for men’s health in Australia

Taxotere® (docetaxel) is the only therapy proven to extend and improve quality of life for men with late stage prostate cancer, a disease which claims the lives of more than 2,900 Australian men each year.
In fact, prostate cancer is the most common cancer in Australian men, and the second leading cause of male cancer deaths annually.
Internationally renowned as the ‘gold standard’ for treating late stage prostate cancer, Taxotere required Government funding on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).
Ogilvy PR Health was hired by sanofi-aventis in Australia to help manage public relations for the prostate cancer chemotherapy Taxotere, including media management, political advocacy, third party and stakeholder relations.

Objective

Our objective was to achieve a positive recommendation by the Government’s expert advisory committee to list Taxotere on the PBS and an expedited Cabinet approval.

Challenge

The Pharmaceutical Benefits Advisory Committee (PBAC) which assesses the efficacy of drugs had twice rejected Taxotere for prostate cancer on the basis of cost effectiveness.
Taxotere was already listed on the PBS to treat breast, ovarian and non-small cell lung cancer.
Faced with the prospect of a third rejection, Ogilvy PR Health needed a fresh angle to persuade Government decision makers about the need to fund this important therapy.
Insight
Anecdotally we knew men were poor advocates for their own health.

Creative idea

Our creative approach was to leverage women who were concerned about their male partner’s health to lobby the Government in favour of listing Taxotere on the PBS.  OPRH selected women of influence and public profile women to lobby the government.

Campaign

The campaign involved commissioning Newspoll to find out if our insight was correct and that men were poor advocates for their own health.
The results borne this out showing in a majority of cases men only visited the doctor after being encouraged to do so by a wife, partner or sister
Armed with this knowledge we set about ensuring women of influence and public profile were briefed on the issue and able to lobby the Government in favour of listing Taxotere on the PBS.

Outcome

In July 2007 the PBAC recommended Taxotere be listed on the PBS for men with late stage prostate cancer. Then to coincide with the PCFA Father’s Day 5 fun run the Minister for Health Tony Abbott announced Taxotere would be listed on the PBS from 1 November 2007.
The decision means an additional 1,200 men will have access to Taxotere in the first year of listing, and will no longer have to pay up to $18,000 for a course of treatment.

http://www.ogilvyprhealth.com/