Case Study » International Trachoma Initiative

Founded in 1998 by the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation and Pfizer Inc, the International Trachoma Initiative (ITI) is a nonprofit organization that seeks to achieve global elimination of blinding trachoma, the world's leading cause of preventable blindness. In addition to providing several million doses of Pfizer’s Zithromax®, the ITI works with national governments, United Nations agencies and nongovernmental organizations to provide grants and technical assistance to in-country trachoma programs. The ITI approaches its mission by forming partnerships, by working with country programs to ensure access to drugs, surgery and better sanitation, by teaching environmental change techniques and by applying research and program evaluation, and communications and advocacy.

Objective:
To gain worldwide name recognition for the organization and its SAFE (Surgery, Antibiotics, Face washing, Environmental change) strategy. To gain global press coverage and recognition among governments, UN organizations and international agencies of the need and ways to fight blinding trachoma. To gain support for the programs launched in various countries and to expand ITI programs to countries where the World Health Organization has documented widespread disease.

Strategy:
H&H made the first press announcement in 1998 at the launch of the program. Following the initial press campaign, H&H developed a range of press releases, often in several languages, appealing to a wide selection of press, specifically to health and science writers. Every press release was carefully researched and was accompanied by a television B-roll – to encourage usage of the story by global TV networks. As ITI launched programs in new countries, H&H coordinated local as well as international press coverage of the event. H&H sent its professionals to work in the program countries to ensure maximum press exposure and to organize all aspects of the press campaign. Most journalists attending the press conferences conducted multiple interviews with president of ITI Dr. Jacob Kumaresan, Pfizer CEO Dr. Hank McKinnell and with trachoma experts Dr. Joseph Cook and others.

In addition, H&H organized media tours of ITI working regions where key press members were shown ITI programs in action. H&H also developed, produced and placed on air an international Public Service Announcement for ITI that reached an audience of almost one billion people worldwide and significantly increased ITI’s public exposure.

Results:
More than 500 substantial news stories, including every major news service in the world and such news outlets as The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, The New York Times, Financial Times, Asahi Shimbun, BBC Radio and TV, CNN, EuroNews and others. From 1998 to 2003, Pfizer’s commitment to donating their drug Zithromax® to fight trachoma increased 15-fold, showing success of the program and partners’ willingness to support it further. ITI programs are now working in nine countries. H&H continues partnering with ITI on getting maximum media coverage for their outstanding public health efforts.