Anorexia is a silent epidemic and invasive pharmaceutical treatments trade one tragedy for another for young girls. Feeling a loss of control, drug therapy and restrained commitment to treatment centers only heighten their anxiety and feed their illness. The revolutionary drug-free approach of Mandometer offers an alternative.
Project Works Marketing’s PR efforts including television and print placements raised awareness and offered another option for those caught in the throws of an eating disorder.
PR Efforts focused on spreading the word about this new philosophy of treatment that has an unprecedented success rate. Eating disorders are often treated many times over before any real success is gauged, and often with a very high price tag.
Launching this treatment center – the first of its kind in the US – started with packaging the message. All the marketing materials were created for use in brochures, press kits and website content. Then, patient success stories were compiled along with research data from clinical use of this system where it was founded – in Sweden.
The biggest hurdle was overcoming skepticism of this never-before seen treatment that strayed from the traditional pharmaceutical approach. What made the treatment different also made it hard to accept. We worked to educate the media, and the public, by simplifying complex scientific studies and trials that proved the effectiveness of this treatment – and were able to use real patients to tell the story.
The local media was the first target, and there were many placements in local print and broadcast media. Secondly, the campaign was raised to the national level, with a NY media tour and national magazine and television placements.
As a result, more than 85% of new client business was attributed to our media placements. The increased awareness also led to a more widespread acceptance of the treatment by insurance companies, making the treatment more affordable for patients and their families.
A community outreach program was also designed, organizing workshops, seminars and support group meetings for patients, families and interested consumers.
