here's what we've done

• branding
• research & analysis
• social marketing
• media relations
• community relations

American Society of Plastic Surgeons

Client
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world, composed of more than 6,000 board-certified plastic surgeons. With Reingold's strategic and creative guidance, ASPS is bringing its good work—and the societal benefits of plastic surgery—into the mainstream.

Challenge
ASPS' reputation is challenged by competition from other associations and medical specialties, stigma associated with plastic surgery, and reality TV and media sensationalism. To help change the tone and improve the substance and accuracy of media stories about plastic surgery, ASPS needs expert assistance for tracking emerging trends and issues and creating strategic, factual tools that anticipate and respond to false, misleading, or distorted information. The society's goals also demand ongoing media relations to promote a positive image and the good works of board-certified plastic surgeons.

Enter Reingold
Building on the ASPS Member Surgeon brand that we created to distinguish board-certified ASPS members as the gold standard of cosmetic medicine, Reingold designs media relations strategies that elevate the discussion of plastic surgery nationwide. For a 2008 ASPS webinar on breast reconstruction, we helped pitch the event to the top 50 U.S. media markets, conducted media training to prepare the ASPS webinar hosts, and created a PowerPoint show on key research findings presented at the ASPS annual meeting. We also launched a "Wounded Warriors" campaign on the life-changing benefits of reconstructive surgery for several courageous veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan—crafting press releases and shooting videos about these soldiers and pitching their stories to media in their home towns in the days leading up to the Fourth of July. Throughout the year, we write press releases and develop videos, radio releases, articles, and podcasts to spotlight the implications of breaking news, such as the risks of medical tourism.

Results
Reingold's media outreach spurs coverage nationwide. Our work on the breast reconstruction webinar attracted 25 journalists from top media markets and resulted in a New York Times article and "snapshot" box with a graph in USA TODAY. Our lawnmower and all terrain vehicle safety radio releases for National Safety Month were aired on 17,788 stations to over 10 million listeners. And our Wounded Warriors campaign earned TV coverage on NBC and Fox as well as online stories on numerous websites.