ABSTRACT
A campaign is an approach often used with health and safety communications. This approach involves multiple know-feel-do strategies, is widely distributed and requires a substantive amount of planning. While in some ways it is the same as a political campaign, about which most people are all too familiar, in most ways it is quite different. Campaigns for health and safety issues are typically on a much more stringent budget and have a very different kind of “sales pitch.” The campaigns with which you may be involved, around a health initiative, are all about a singular issue or set of related issues. Of the common approaches in health and safety communications, you will see how the campaign is a composite of several other approaches. In looking at campaigns, you might think of something that is short-lived and focused. Or, it may be something that extends over the years, as the need for addressing the topic may never end. The campaign may actually ebb and flow, with a long-term initiative that gets activated more substantively during certain times of the year or seasons. Whether the campaign is about forest fires (with Smokey the Bear), or pediatric dental care, or drunk driving or the “Clean Up Hawaii” campaign, the important foundation is that these initiatives have the potential for really making a difference. They are extensive in scope, operate using a range of know-feel-do strategies and seek to reach their audience through a variety of complementary approaches. This chapter goes into detail about what constitutes a campaign, what various elements can be included, how to plan one and the incorporation of a kick-off event. You should feel more comfortable working with the development and implementation of a campaign following your study of the chapter’s contents.
