Using the AAOS Public Service

Advertisements in Your Community

The Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign materials provide an ongoing opportunity to tell the orthopaedic story at the national, state and local levels. Each year, the Academy’s Public Education and Media Relations Department develops a highly successful, comprehensive awareness program aimed at the general public and distributes this campaign through more than 1,150 television network and cable outlets, 3,500 radio stations, 7,000 newspapers and magazines, and more than 200 airports nationwide.

Television PSAs are sent to the public service directors of major networks, local stations and television cable systems. The print PSAs, in a variety of sizes, are made available to major magazines, trade publications and newspapers in your area, and also distributed as airport advertising display ads. Radio PSAs are sent to national networks and local radio news outlets.

The Academy does not pay to place these messages on TV or radio or in print advertising media: the time/space is provided at no charge to 501(c)(3) organizations. By taking advantage of this, the Academy generates approximately $6 million in advertising value from each campaign.

The PSA campaign messages are consistently reinforced through the ongoing efforts of the Public Education and Media Relations Department, which proactively pursues editorial placements in the media, and provides expert spokespersons. Featured topics span the scope of orthopaedic practice, including injury prevention, the latest research and techniques, Bone and Joint Decade messages, and general musculoskeletal health and wellness for adults and children.

Your involvement at the local level is encouraged and will contribute to this program's success. Many resources are available for use in promoting your practice in your community, including posters and postcards of the ads featured in the PSA campaign, public relations and media training tool kits, and the opportunity for state societies to add their society tagline to the TV PSA! And, you can monitor the news outlets that are receiving the campaign to ensure that those in your community, who should receive them, are. And if they are not, you can work at the local level to personally contact the outlets and provide the materials to your contacts.

The Academy provides a way for you to actively monitor the distribution and use of the PSAs in your state. This distribution list can be viewed by going to our distributor's website, http://www.goodwillcommunications.com. At this website, click PUBSANS GATEWAY in the menu on the left. A page will appear, asking for your name and contact information. Please complete the requested fields. The password that you will need to enter is aaosyes (you may need to enter this password each time to return to the site, even if it appears that it is already entered). To view a distribution list, first select Distribution List from the tabs along the top of the page. Then select the media type from the horizontal list under the Academy’s name—television, radio or print. Continue by selecting your state to view the list of media outlets that have already received the campaign materials. The Academy has reached the top media outlets; however, if you have proposed additions to this list, please contact Addy Kujawa at 847-384-4033 or kujawa@aaos.org. To view the evaluation reports, select this option from the red/white/black small tabs above the Academy’s name, then select “national” or “chapters” from the horizontal list under the Academy’s name.

Please ignore any instructions on the Web site that suggest you can make additions to the existing distribution list; additions can be made by the Academy only. If you have additions, please email them to Addy Kujawa at kujawa@aaos.org.

You may find the following suggestions helpful as you implement this year’s public service advertising program.

Television Public Service Announcements

Many of the Academy’s state orthopaedic societies have included their names as a tagline on our television public service announcements. The Academy distributes the public service announcements to major television stations and cable systems throughout the U.S. You can access our distributor’s Web site to see which television and cable stations receive the public service announcement. A letter has been sent to public service directors at these stations by the Academy, along with the public service TV spots, to encourage on air use. It helps if you contact or write a personal note to the public service directors of TV stations in your area: to remind them the public service announcements have been sent, and to encourage their use.

Radio Public Service Advertisements

A recorded CD and a variety of live announcer scripts are included in the radio packet sent to national and local radio networks. To review which radio stations in your area receive the public service announcements, access this web site—www.psaresearch.com and follow previous instructions for reviewing the distribution lists. You also can contact or write a personal note to your local radio station public service directors: to remind them the PSAs have been sent, and encourage their use.

Print Public Service Announcements

Print public service announcements are sent to national and local newspapers, magazines and trade publications. If you are interested in reviewing the print PSA distribution list, access this web site—www.psaresearch.com and follow previous instructions. You can also contact or write a personal note to the public service directors of your local newspapers -- to remind them the PSAs have been sent, and to encourage their use.

You can also request copies of the CDs and distribute to media that may not appear on the general distribution list, such as community newspapers and other publications like newsletters, employee bulletins or local civic group publications. These are effective reminders of our orthopaedic messages and help reinforce the national program.

The announcements, in varying sizes, are distributed on CDs and line screens for use by publications in almost any format. Most newspapers and magazines can drop these images directly into their layouts. We also make the ads available on the Public/Media section of the Academy’s website, www.aaos.org, in the section on Public Service Announcements.

Most publications grant unused space to print public service announcements as a community service at no cost.

Posters and Postcards

Each year, the campaign features different posters and postcards that focus on key campaign themes in the Academy’s public service advertising program. The posters and postcards are intended for use throughout the year and for many years to come. As the Academy develops new programs, they will tie in with these materials and extend our current messages.

Each postcard has space where important safety tips can be printed on the back. The cards with these helpful tips can be sent to a variety of audiences - including patients, the media and local officials - to reinforce our key points about each card’s message. State societies have also used them in new member drives and other specialized communications.

Here are some other suggestions on how to use the posters and postcards:

• Begin with your own office or hospital. Frame the posters and hang them in your patient reception and examination rooms.
• Use them in combination with the Community Orthopaedics Awareness Program (COAP), as invitations to your public education presentations, or distribute at your speaking engagements with appropriate health tips printed on the back.
• Ask your local schools, merchants, health clubs, senior community centers or day care centers to display the posters.
• Use the postcards as direct mail pieces to patients. There is space on each card to include your practice information. Include musculoskeletal-related tips to make them even more useful.
• Mail the postcards as “thank you” notes. Or, send them to media after an interview with a brief “follow-up” note.
• Send the postcards or posters along with a personal note to your state legislators or local officials to educate them about issues relating to orthopaedics.
• Use the posters and postcards as giveaway items at health fairs and other community events.

These community outreach materials are available through AAOS Customer Service for a modest shipping/handling charge only, and include many tools you can you use at the local level to promote awareness of orthopaedists as the most qualified to treat musculoskeletal conditions. Call 800/626-6726 to place an order.

Our public service advertisement campaign provides a tremendous opportunity to increase public knowledge of the specialty of orthopaedics. These public service announcements support the goals of the Bone and Joint Decade initiative, and can be used to reinforce positive orthopaedic messages in your community.

For more information about public education and media relations resources available to orthopaedic surgeons through the Academy, please call the Public Education and Media Relations Department at 847-384-4036.

Sample safety tips for postcards