Agency Wins Award for And Thou Shalt Honor Campaign

June 27, 2003
VERB Communications of Baltimore was awarded First Place for a Public Service Campaign by the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Maryland chapter. The award recognized the promotion efforts of a 2002 campaign for the PBS television program And Thou Shalt Honor: Caring for our Aging Parents, Spouses and Friends. The show aired on public television stations nationwide last October.

The local campaign was created and executed on behalf of Maryland Public Television (MPT). MPT augmented the showâs broadcast with a call-in phone bank staffed by aging-related experts who answered viewer questions about resources and general assistance on issues related to caregiving.

To publicize both the show and the phone bank the grassroots effort utilized promotion opportunities through relevant state, county and municipal agencies as well as statewide medical associations and task forces dedicated to the issue of family caregiving.

"With only four weeks and a limited budget, the campaign to reach viewers in the five-state area was a challenge," said Lisa A. Shenkle, president of VERB Communications. "To accelerate the effort we quickly created promotional tie-ins with retail outlets and pharmacies and tapped into the active network of caregiving specialists throughout the state. We were very pleased with the results."

According to Nielsen ratings, MPT viewership for And Thou Shalt Honor increased 150 percent over the normal viewing audience in the same timeslot.