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Penny Fannin

Strategic Communications and Marketing Manager

The Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Discoveries Need Dollars campaign

Discoveries Need Dollars campaign

Who started it?

Why was it started?

When was it started?

How was it started?

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Health and medical research in Australia

• Majority funded by federal government

– NHMRC budget $715 million in 2010-11

– basic science (47%), clinical medicine (33%), public health (14%), health services (5%)

• 8000 salaries funded by NHMRC– ~50% of Australian researchers

• Application success rate 23% in 2010– but 80% applications reviewed as “fundable”

Health and medical research in Australia

• Majority funded by federal government

– NHMRC budget $715 million in 2010-11

– basic science (47%), clinical medicine (33%), public health (14%), health services (5%)

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Health and medical research in Australia

• Majority funded by federal government

– NHMRC budget $715 million in 2010-11

– basic science (47%), clinical medicine (33%), public health (14%), health services (5%)

Notification of planned budget cuts

• Leaks to several senior researchers

– “$400 million cut”= 20% over 3 years

“The Government is also risking a fight with some of Australia's best-known researchers, as it looks for savings from the National Health and Medical Research Council.”

The Advertiser March 11, 2011

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Discoveries Need Dollars campaign

The Discoveries Need Dollars campaign was started to encourage the Australian Government to take a long-term view of the role of medical research in boosting Australia’s economic growth and improving our health by not cutting the medical research budget.

Enable traditional campaigning – letter writing

Encourage social media campaigning – Facebook, Twitter, Linked In

Strategy

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Initial implementation

• Target audiences

– politicians, researchers, ‘ordinary Australians’, patient advocacy groups

• Develop key messages

• Devise slogan

• Develop background

– arguments, faces, examples of success

Initial implementation cont…

• Determine and design ‘brand’

– colour scheme, logo

• Provide ‘enabling’ information

– contact details for politicians, media

• Design and build website

• Establish presence on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn

• Create postcards, letters, tweets, status updates

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Don’t forget the hashtag: #protectresearch

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Ongoing implementation

Maintain the conversation

• Tweet, Facebook, LinkedIn daily (including weekends)

• Honour roll maintenance

• Monitor news outlets

• Updates to stakeholders

• New ideas

– GetUp, i-Petition, advertising

– Rally for Research

– Petition

Social media participation

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Social media participation

Average visit• 4.79 page views• 0.23% bounce rate(WEHI: 54%)• 81% direct/referred traffic(WEHI: 53%)

Website access

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Outcomes

• Maintenance of medical research budget

• Tabling of petition supporting medical research funding signed by 13,828

• Review of health and medical research sector