Jacob Betzner

School Of Pharmacy Health & Wellness Fair

CHALLENGE

In 2019, the Duquesne University School of Pharmacy received a $20,000 grant from Paramount Rx and Giant Eagle Pharmacy to promote the annual Health and Wellness Fair in Market Square. At the annual event, student pharmacists set up 20 to 25 booths in the heart of downtown Pittsburgh and offer flu shots and free health screenings and health information to the public. The Associate Dean for Student Services asked me to use the grant funding to develop and launch a multichannel marketing and communications campaign to increase awareness of the event to boost community engagement at the event.

STRATEGY

I identified a Pittsburgh-based media buying agency and worked with the Duquesne University creative team to create and place billboards, transit and transit shelter signage (~$9,500). I wrote a script for a radio advertisement and worked with students and faculty in the Bachelor of Science in Music Technology program to record and produce the spot, which played on seven different Pittsburgh-area radio stations for 10 days leading up to the event (~$8,500). I sent out email blasts and posted multiple social media posts and worked with the Duquesne University Media Relations Manager to push information about the event to local news outlets. At the event, student pharmacists approached and interacted with members of the public to explain the purpose of the event and encourage participation.

To track engagement, School of Pharmacy staff members members at the registration booth gave members of the public a “passport” to collect “stamps” from different booths after completing the activity or interacting with the student pharmacists. After receiving all the “stamps,” participants returned completed the “passports” to the registration booth to be entered in a raffle for a Giant Eagle Market District gift basket.

BUDGET

SIGNAGE

FLYER

Student pharmacists handed out flyers to restaurants in Market Square and business downtown to display.

EMAIL

“PASSPORT“

RADIO

I wrote a script for faculty and students in the Bachelor or Music in Music Technology program to record.

RESULTS

The push resulted in a 50 percent increase in engagement from the previous year estimated by the number of completed “passports” returned to the registration booth and helped shape the marketing and communications plan for the event going forward.