here's what we've done

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

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology

Client
Members of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) provide optimal, specialized care to people who suffer from allergies and asthma—addressing the root causes of their symptoms to provide lasting relief and often a cure.

Challenge
A remarkable 44 percent of Americans are afflicted with serious or very serious allergies and/or asthma, but just 29 percent of them have seen an allergist. The fact is, patients who are treated by an allergist are 50 percent more likely than those who see a different medical professional to say their treatment was effective. So the ACAAI needed a clear brand and a strong position to at once raise awareness and understanding of allergic diseases and showcase the benefits of treatment by a qualified allergist-immunologist.

Enter Reingold
We built the campaign on research—using surveys, interviews, and focus groups of both ACAAI members and people with allergies and asthma. Our questions helped us understand perceptions about allergies among the general population and specific subgroups; determine who seeks an allergist and under what scenarios; and identify the trigger points—such as an asthma attack or a small sniffle—that motivate patients to seek care and from whom or with what. We also found out how patients gather information about asthma and allergies and the specific resources they seek out and trust. Based on the results of our research, we created a distinctive, evocative ACAAI logo; defined messaging and images that resonate with the organization's target audiences, particularly chronic allergy and asthma sufferers; designed a new, user-friendly website; and launched a full-blown multimedia communications campaign including advertising, online outreach, media relations, and partner and member mobilization.

Results
In just the first two months of our campaign, the campaign's media relations effort garnered 140 media articles and broadcasts that reached an audience of 151 million. Our advertising in Ebony, Family Circle, Ladies Home Journal, Parents, Redbook, and Woman's Day achieved an estimated 128 million impressions among our target audience of women ages 25-54. In addition, our ads on the WebMD and iVillage websites achieved well over a million impressions, our banner ads on Google and Yahoo reached about 33 million visitors, and the ACAAI website received 120,000 unique visitors.