National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Our Client's Challenge:

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) – a serious lung disease and the fourth leading cause of death in the United States – was virtually unknown among the general public. The disease kills more than 120,000 Americans each year and is the only leading cause of death with prevalence rates on the rise. Approximately 12 million Americans have been diagnosed with this serious lung disease and it is estimated that another 12 million have COPD and don't even know it.

The Difference:

In October 2005, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health selected Hager Sharp to create and launch a national campaign to raise awareness of this disease among those at risk and to help brand COPD within the general public in the same way that "AIDS" has become the recognizable name for "Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome."

After months of strategic planning, and developing and testing messages and concepts, Hager Sharp created COPD Learn More Breathe Better®. Since launching in January 2007, the campaign has garnered upwards of 750 million media impressions through coverage on Good Morning America, The View, the Diane Rehm Show on NPR and the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric and in The New York Times, Newsweek and The Wall Street Journal together with countless other print and broadcast stories across the country.

Hager Sharp created a number of collateral materials in support of the campaign including fact sheets, an educational video, a speaker's guide, a resource card for health care professionals and a resource kit to support community outreach by advocates and health professionals. Hager Sharp also developed a series of radio public service announcements that have aired on almost 250 radio stations in 46 states throughout the country, valued at an estimated $3.6 million. By engaging and supporting the efforts of community COPD coalitions, Hager Sharp helped position COPD as a prominent issue at the local level across the country.

On the national front, a 2004 survey put awareness of COPD at 49 percent. By 2008, the HealthStyles survey of American public health attitudes showed that awareness had risen to 64 percent and reflected better levels of awareness among our target audience – those ages 40 and older. By increasing awareness and understanding of COPD among target audiences, the campaign has encouraged early detection and treatment in slowing the disease, thereby improving the quality of life of those afflicted.