October 2008
National MD Awareness Campaign launches across Australia
In our recent Project Vision II research we surveyed over 2,000 clients on our database and asked the question: “What more could the Foundation do for those with Macular Degeneration?” The strongest recommendation from those interviewed was to increase awareness of the disease.
As the first step in fulfilling our MD community’s wishes the largest ever MD awareness “How’s Your Macula?” advertising campaign ran from October to December across television and print media. The Foundation received literally thousands of calls from across Australia asking for advice and information about MD. This three month intensive campaign highlighted the importance of getting your eyes tested and ensuring your macula is checked. Early detection can save sight, and this was a key message of our campaign.
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Our sincere thanks go to Novartis for their outstanding support of the awareness campaign. Their commitment to the Foundation’s aim to reduce the incidence and impact of this disease in Australia has really begun to make a difference in our fight against MD. |
Television campaign
In October a three month MD awareness television advertising campaign was launched across Australia. The advertisements appeared in peak viewing periods. This campaign has allowed the Foundation to reach a record number of people in large metropolitan centres as well as both rural and regional communities. Advertisements reached a potential audience of over 5.5 million people in the 55+ age bracket alone.
Print campaign
The television advertising campaign was rolled out in conjunction with our print campaign. This included advertisements from October to December in publications such as Women’s Weekly, Sydney Morning Herald’s Good Weekend and Burke’s Backyard to name a few. The print campaign reached a potential audience of almost 6 million people in the 50+ age bracket.
The Foundation received over 112 calls every working day during October as a result of this advertising campaign!