In June 2016, the American Physical Therapy Association launched #ChoosePT, a broad, integrated, multi-phased campaign to educate consumers about physical therapy as a safe alternative to opioids for chronic pain management, consistent with CDC guidelines that were also released that year.

The campaign was APTA’s contribution as a participant in the Obama Administration’s opioid working group to address the epidemic.

However, in order to get the campaign’s message out to millions of Americans in a powerful and cost-effective way, APTA developed public service announcements for TV, radio, and online. Those PSAs, which were released during Pain Awareness Month in September 2016, featured the message that opioids only mask pain, while physical therapists manage pain through prescribed movement and exercise.  

APTA’s objective for the PSAs—to reach 50 million Americans in at least 25 states during 12 months of circulation—was ambitious, but the organization achieved it thanks to a well-thought-out development process and nationwide member support.

How It Began

From the start, APTA had two primary goals for the campaign:

• inform the public of the risks of long-term opioid therapy for pain management
• educate consumers about the benefits of physical therapy as a safe, non-opioid option for pain management, consistent with CDC guidelines

In the early stages of the campaign’s development, staff immersed themselves in data and news stories related to the epidemic. They also selected a small group of trusted members, who specialize in complex pain management or have expertise in the science of pain management, to test and finetune the campaign’s messages and creative.

Additionally, staff provided regular updates to, and requested feedback from, APTA’s executive team and board members to ensure everyone was all dialed in on campaign tone, creative, and messaging.

Be authentic in your mission to inform the public on a particular topic or issue.

APTA also knew that member support was critical to both extend reach and ensure the campaign’s success. “We set an initial objective of galvanizing chapter support in 10 states identified by the CDC as having the highest number of opioid prescriptions, overdoses, and deaths,” says Erin Wendel, APTA’s manager of media relations and consumer communications.

Its PR staff also collaborated with state leadership, generating steady momentum that led to unprecedented support and engagement from almost all state chapters, specialty sections, and individual members. To help spread the word, APTA held special events; employed grassroots advocacy efforts; and used billboards, newspaper advertising, and other community engagement strategies.

What It Achieved

Thanks to internal and external support, as well as a carefully planned development process, the campaign and PSAs have exceeded APTA’s initial goals.

In three months, the #ChoosePT television PSA aired in 22 states to an audience of nearly 78 million Americans. On Facebook, the PSA generated more than 218,000 views, becoming the most popular video APTA has distributed via social media.

In addition, the success of the PSA and the larger #ChoosePT campaign helped APTA’s consumer information website—MoveForwardPT.com—achieve record-breaking traffic.

In 2016, 3 million unique users visited the site, an 87 percent increase from 2015.

The PSA also earned APTA a 2017 Gold Circle Award from ASAE in the “Video” category. 

APTA credits the campaign’s success to the diversity of tactics it used and to member support. “It’s an example of how associations and their members can collaborate to harness power and resources to make a meaningful, measurable societal impact,” says Wendel.

Where It’s Going

Even though its first effort was such a success, APTA says the #ChoosePT campaign is an ongoing effort. The association recently distributed its second PSA.

Yet, no matter where the effort goes, APTA says it will always directly align and support APTA’s vision—“transforming society by optimizing movement to improve the human experience”—as well as its strategic plan objectives.

For other association professionals considering taking a similar approach, Wendel offers one piece of advice: “Be authentic in your mission to inform the public on a particular topic or issue, take the necessary time to research your issue, and know your audience.”