Often underserved, “awareness months” can be terrific generators of new business, along with goodwill, when your clients participate and attach themselves somehow to the cause.
February is national Heart Health Month (also called American Heart Health) and of course, is a month bisected by Valentine’s Day – a different heart altogether. According to The Heart Foundation, heart disease is the leading cause of death of men and women in the US, and heart disease and stroke cause one in three deaths in women alone each year – and 80% of cardiac and stroke events can be prevented through education and action. Heart disease is an illness that is, stated the foundation, “one of the most preventable.”
There are five numbers for men and women to be aware of: Total Cholesterol, HDL (good) Cholesterol, Blood Pressure, Blood Sugar and Body Mass Index (BMI). Hence, a theme can arise for your clients – you can use any of a variety of products that help remind customers, clients, employees and of course, patients, to keep their “numbers” in mind.
Part of the Heart Health awareness month is National Wear Red Day (February 2) – this is a day focused on teaching women to become more aware of their heart health; it wasn’t until recent years when the medical community realized that middle-aged heart attacks were not suffered only by men, that women are more likely to have a heart attack than previously thought. Participating in promotions that encourage women to be screened and to consider developing healthy habits for heart health can help your clients enjoy being part of something very positive.
There are, of course, numerous inventive ways to help your clients that want to align themselves with this month to gain attention via promotions. Amberlea Barnes of Drum-Line suggests “tying fitness into heart health awareness with an employee contest.” Businesses can give staff a wellness journal to keep track of daily nutrition, exercise and other healthy activities that allow them to reach desirable numbers (cholesterol, BMI, blood pressure, and blood sugar). Prospects that may find this idea very attractive would be doctors’ offices, insurance agencies, and fitness centers.
“Journals with insert sheets containing heart health tips are a useful yet informative tool,” she describes. “For example, medical conference attendees were all given one of these journals with custom reference pages containing specifics about heart disease treatments and procedures.”
Carrie Lewis of BIC Graphic agrees that red-colored products are expected as they coordinate with the American Heart Association and the Go Red for Women® campaign. “But go beyond your typical health and wellness items to tie-into the cause,” she stresses. Examples Lewis provides are BIC Graphic’s KOOZIE® Wine Glass Kooler (#46169) to help promote the heart-healthy benefits of red wine. And, because exercise is a primary way to increase heart health status, she suggests an item that can be used during workouts or on-the-go, such as the O2COOL® Carabiner Misting Fan (#26062).
For Heart Health Awareness Month, Lewis adds, build a corporate wellness campaign with functional, quality items that will be reused with high frequency while displaying a heart-healthy message. She suggests BIC’s Healthy Eating Appointment Calendar (#1301), Exercise Resistance Bands Set (#41048), and Runner’s Fitness Kit (#41014), which includes an imprinted drawstring backpack, un-imprinted poly-clean bottle®, shoe wallet and value pedometer – all in matching colors.
And because heart health awareness month is national, it may be a profitable idea to mobilize involvement from your clients to participate. Send out e-blasts with compelling stats (you can obtain those at www.heart.org), and provide some promotional ideas. Work with a physician or cardiologist, nutritionist and fitness trainer (or club).
Independent pharmacies are also a perfect target. Last year an independent-pharmacy trade website published an article giving ideas about how to promote heart health. It featured easy ideas pharmacy staff can focus on with their customers -- such as blood pressure monitoring, encouraging exercise, and quitting smoking (all of which add up to product sales in the store). They may like giving away heart-shaped stress balls (such as Bullet’s sm-3347 Heart Stress Reliever from PCNA), for example, or pill cases.
Look to local foundations or charities that give funds for cardiac research or help support those in need locally. Besides the nationally known ones (American Heart Association), look for local charities, such as those mounted by a community to help support AHA efforts as adjunct partners.
“Businesses can use promotional products to inspire and educate their employees, customers, or patients to live a healthier life for heart-health month,” says April Clark of PCNA. She points to red-colored apparel for National Wear Red Day. Some example she offers are the Bodie Short-Sleeve Tee, the Dade Short-Sleeve Polo for more of a corporate casual environment, and the Wilshire Long-Sleeve Shirt, a “classic woven that is perfect as part of any work uniform,” Clark describes.
Meanwhile, many businesses may also want to tie in a heart health promotion with Valentine’s Day – and the figurative loving heart. This is a holiday that nets approximately $19 billion in sales, and nine out of 10 Americans buy something for their sweethearts, according to the National Retail Federation.
“Encourage your clients to steer their customers to enjoy the holiday in healthy ways instead of indulging in a decadent meal or box of chocolates,” offers Lewis. For example, gourmet retailers can create a promotion focusing on cooking romantic meals together at home, says Lewis. In this case, customers who spend a certain amount of money for a certain duration may be eligible to receive a #45602 Bamboo Cheese Set.
Clark suggests that some clients may want to sponsor a walking challenge; here, Leed’s Everlast Activity Tracker/Sleep & Heartrate Monitor (#1907-02) from PCNA can be used for counting the steps during the challenge “and will promote a positive change in the recipient’s lives. Not to mention that every time they look at their wrist it is another brand impression,” she comments.
Whether it’s the literal or figurative – the heart is the symbol ubiquitous in February – so, encourage your clients to have one and get involved! Raising awareness really may help save a life!
Case Studies
Amberlea Barnes of Drum Line: “A heart hospital gave composition notebooks with a handy pocket in the front to volunteers organizing community events to promote heart health throughout the month of February.”
Carrie Lewis of BIC Graphic: “A large resort was implementing corporate wellness program to improve employee morale and cut down on insurance premiums. This client was interested in both giveaway and incentive items as part of a program to encourage healthy habits. By showcasing the company logo and colors on each item used for the program, the resort felt their brand would receive a large amount of exposure while being associated with a feel-good campaign. Each employee received a “wellness kit” upon joining the wellness program. These kits included #45038 KOOZIE® Lunch Sack to encourage bringing a healthy lunch option from home, #46058 Double Wall Sport Bottle – 20 oz.to promote drinking more water and a#40613 Value Pedometer to add a competitive element. Employees were encouraged to wear their pedometers at all times to help their assigned inter-departmental team. Each team member reported weekly step totals to their team captain. At the end of each month, the team with the most steps was named the winner and each member could choose one of three prizes: #26064 LAMZAC® The Original, #45368 bubba® 128 oz. Sport Jug, #15853 KAPSTON™ Stratford Business Backpack. The step competition was successful because as people saw other teams win desirable prizes they were encouraged to log more steps and win the following month.”