Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ Public Health Education Campaign Reaches Tens of Millions of People With Life-Saving Information About Blood Clots

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Aug 26, 2015, 08:00 ET

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 26, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Blood Clot Alliance (NBCA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) are pleased to announce the preliminary results of their recent Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ public awareness campaign, launched during Blood Clot Awareness Month earlier this year. In the first three months of this initiative, important public health information about life-threatening blood clots, which affect up to 900, 000 people each year, reached more than 70 million people nationwide.

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This multifaceted digital marketing campaign, part of a cooperative agreement between NBCA and CDC, is focused on sharpening public awareness about blood clot risk factors, as well as the signs and symptoms of blood clots, to help turn back the staggering impact of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism on so many families.

"Each year, about 100,000 people die due to blood clots, which is greater than the annual number of deaths due to AIDS, breast cancer, and car accidents combined," says Coleen A. Boyle, Ph.D., MShyg., Director of CDC's National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. "CDC has worked closely with the National Blood Clot Alliance for many years to help prevent blood clots and save lives. We are pleased that this partnership is yielding such impressive results, and reaching tens of millions of people through the success of NBCA's new Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign."

Preliminary Highlights

When this campaign launched, several integrated and enduring Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ online educational tools were introduced, including: 1) A dedicated Web portal with downloadable checklists and information sheets focused on blood clot risk factors, signs and symptoms, and prevention messages 2) an engaging campaign video that embraces the information needs of a diverse spectrum of people who may be at risk for life-threatening blood clots and 3) a striking infographic that crystallizes messages about blood clot risk factors, signs/symptoms and prevention.

Some highlights of the three-month promotional push that surrounded the unveiling of the campaign earlier this year, and reached more than 70 million people between mid-March and Mid-June, include:

The campaign's digital media press release and Web banner reached a combined online audience of more than 12 million people, with a Web banner click-through rate of 24 percent, three times greater than the average industry benchmark.

Nearly 60,000 unique visitors tapped into the Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ Web portal, with each visitor spending an average 1:44 on the campaign landing page, seven times greater than industry research shows most people usually spend viewing, on average, most Web pages.

The campaign infographic appeared on 996 online television, radio, and newspaper websites nationwide, reaching 59.7 million people, and an additional 21,500 viewers through the social media sharing site StumbleUpon.

The delivery of campaign messages also was fortified during this three-month promotional time frame by widespread online social media sharing enhanced by a Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ video, important blog placements reaching key target audiences, and through NBCA's ongoing campaign engagement on Facebook and Twitter.

The central goal of this campaign was to increase awareness about life-threatening blood clots and to urge people nationwide to ask themselves one potentially life-saving question: Could I be at risk for a blood clot? The educational tools used in this campaign provided people with information about blood clot risk factors to help them identify their own potential risks, clear information about the signs and symptoms of blood clots, so that they can seek prompt medical attention should they experience the signs and symptoms of a blood clot, and also steps that can be taken to prevent blood clots.

"We're extremely grateful for the opportunity to work with CDC in this capacity, and to collaborate with our colleagues there to help increase public awareness to eliminate deaths due to blood clots," says Sara Wassenaar, DDS, NBCA Board President. "The success of our new Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ campaign clearly demonstrates the importance of our partnership with CDC and the tremendous results we can achieve together."

Stop the Clot, Spread the Word™ is a five-year public education campaign made possible by funding provided to the National Blood Clot Alliance by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Year two of this effort will expand public awareness efforts in this arena, placing emphasis on the key risk factors of hospitalization, pregnancy, and cancer.

NBCA is a non-profit, voluntary health organization dedicated to advancing the prevention, early diagnosis and successful treatment of life-threatening blood clots, such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, and clot-provoked stroke. NBCA accomplishes its mission through programs that build public awareness, educate patients and healthcare professionals, and promote supportive public and private sector policy.

SOURCE National Blood Clot Alliance