Arthritis Action: Elevating Arthritis Action
through topical stories

Within a highly competitive health news agenda, Arthritis Action needed to capture earned media attention to position the charity as a thought leader and the ‘go to’ for practical advice for those living with the condition.  In its 80th year, the charity has seen an increased need for support since the start of the COVI-19 pandemic and wanted to put the spotlight on what can often be a forgotten condition due to the fact it is not life threatening. Previous coverage and media attention has been limited and sporadic with little opportunities for executive commentary.

Arthritis Action wanted to highlight research data that had been designed to uncover the impact of COVID-19 and secure in-depth coverage featuring key spokespeople with a focus on regional stories in support of the regional support groups and resources available across the country.

We knew that the health news agenda was becoming increasingly competitive and that research stories were being heavily scrutinised by journalists. The objective of the research was to uncover the impact of the pandemic on those living with the condition but we also knew that these stories were overdone and COVID-10 was no longer making headlines.

Our approach was to instead tap into topical themes relevant today; the cost of living crisis and health inequalities. We analysed the data through these two lenses to develop a story and headline that highlighted the stark contrast between those up and down the country and comparing socioeconomic groups. We combined this with regional case studies to bring to life the struggle of those living in areas of need.

The campaign delivered an earned reach of over 150 million in both national and regional titles with two in depth regional BBC broadcast pieces which featured research statistics, CEO commentary and locally relevant case study stories. This generated an influx of media requests for further insight and commentary, and enabled the charity to build a stronger and ongoing relationship with the Department or Health and Social Care.

Increased journalist awareness – the team reported receiving more incoming requests post-launch than ever before.

Positioned the charity as a thought leader through multiple CEO interviews which have previously been limited.

Campaign initiated a response from the Department of Health & Social Care – a key stakeholder for the charity.