2011 National Award - For Best Integrated Campaign

Perfect Circle and NHS Trafford have won an award for Best Integrated Communications Campaign at the How-Do UK Public Services Communications Awards on 15 November at Manchester’s Comedy Store.

A target was set for 60% of Trafford residents to have seen an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months by March 2011. To meet this target NHS Trafford needed to generate registrations from 11,600 resident by March 2011. The social marketing campaign delivered by Perfect Circle enabled NHS Trafford to achieved its 60% target ahead of schedule in October 2010.

“We are delighted at the success of this campaign” says Oliver Morton, Perfect Circle MD, “working within social marketing presents its own rewards, but winning this particular award is a fantastic achievement and testimony to the hard work, professionalism and commitment of our team.  It’s great that our fellow marketing professionals have chosen to recognise the unique work that we do within social marketing and hope to continue this success into 2012 and beyond.

NHS Trafford were also nominated for the Most Innovative use of New Media award based on the success of the campaign.

Men’s Health - Football & the community

If you’re a MAN between 30 – 74 years of age then tackling your health has never been easier, following the launch of the Tackle Your Health, social marketing campaign, commissioned by Telford & Wrekin Council and managed by social marketing agency Perfect Circle.   

This innovative campaign is designed to direct men 30-74 towards their very own Professional Health Trainer that can be accessed for Free.  The Health Trainers provide a 1-to-1 programme that commences with a Lifestyle Check, to *sensored word - inappropriate language* the condition and set realistic goals for the target audience.  The Health Trainers then work with the target audience, helping them to engage in a range of healthy activities that will improve their fitness and enjoyment of a healthier lifestyle.

The Tackle Your Health campaign has brought together a team of organisations that has enabled the campaign to reach out and engage with the local community.  From Schools to Supermarket participation, through to local businesses and at its heart AFC Telford Utd that is hosting a range of community engagement activities.  These include healthy eating events, football coaching sessions with Ex England International ‘Andy Sinton’ as well as competitions, motivational speakers and a behind the scene’s football experience.

This successful community based social marketing campaign has been active since March 2011 and is on course to achieve its targeted outcomes, with 1/3 its Lifestyle Check target having already been secured, well in advance of the March 2012 deadline.

For more information, visuals or examples of campaign activities then please gives us a call on 01706 373440 or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). 

Confronting CVD & Bowel Cancer in Men

Despite the return of English spring weather, this month the ‘Check it Out’ campaign has hit the road in style with its very own customised Health Bus.  The campaign has been designed by Perfect Circle and NHS North Lancashire to deliver a targeted prevention for men in North Lancashire, in partnership with health professionals.  The campaign provides personalised early stage health checks and treatment programmes that are designed to prevent premature deaths from circulatory disease and bowel cancer.

The bus, which has been fitted with state-of-the-art equipment and consultation facilities, is being be used to visit the region’s largest employers to bring health services to the men of North Lancashire in a convenient and mobile unit.  This campaign was developed to address the barriers then men have to addressing their health and wellbeing, such as stoicism and reluctance to confront the issue of cancer,  the inconvenience of booking appointments, a perception of frontline health professionals as a last resort,  and hostility to doctors criticising lifestyle choices (e.g. smoking) .

This new initiative from NHS North Lancashire, offers men a quick, no-fuss blood pressure, height, weight and body mass index checks.  They also give out free information and advice on healthier lifestyle, getting moving, alcohol and smoking PLUS access to health professionals in an informal way, at a handy time.  For more information visit www.check-it-out.me or .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

Dental Access Campaign Success

Access to NHS dental services was identified as key priority for NHS Trafford. With additional resources been made available to increase NHS dental capacity in Trafford, and a target set for 60% of Trafford residents to have seen an NHS dentist in the previous 24 months by March 2011. To meet this Trafford PCT appointed Perfect Circle as their social marketing agency in August 2010.

Since that date Perfect Circle have worked with Trafford PCT to develop a unqiue social marketing campaign titled ‘Now there’s no excuses’, to direct new patients to register with an NHS Trafford dentist by March 2011 and educate the target audience on the availability of dental places in Trafford.

The campaign also was designed to communicate that everyone should see a dentist regularly, regardless of whether they have their own teeth and raise awareness that good oral hygiene can prevent future health problems, as well as boost self esteem. With pricing identified as a barrier to receiving treatment, key messages we included in the campaign to confirm with the target audience that a simple pricing structure is available for NHS dental treatment.

North Lancashire Men’s Health Campaign

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NHS North Lancashire has appointed Perfect Circle to deliver their InnovateNow Circulatory disease and bowel cancer campaign. Large parts of the population of the North west of England suffer health inequalities, with more men dying from cancer and coronary heart disease than anywhere else in England

Through the campaign NHS North Lancashire will proactively raise awareness of bowel cancer and circulatory disease in specific target populations, to help individuals seek early treatment and ensure the whole population of the North West can access health services regardless of their circumstances.

The funding for the campaign is drawn from the InnovateNow awards for enabling change. The campaign will include the development of a brand identity that will act as a focal point , this will be supported by a campaign branded outreach bus to engage health professionals with the target audience in the workplace and other appropriate venues.

The Perfect Circle team is excited about the project and intends to help improve the health provision in the North West by delivering a first class campaign.

Football Club at Heart of Health Campaign

Telford and Wrekin Council have commissioned the Perfect Circle team to develop a men’s health campaign targeted at 30 to 74 year old males.

Perfect Circle will apply its social marketing expertise to establish a brand, integrate supporting campaign activities and develop a set of communication tools to deliver an increase in the number of health checks taken and a greater awareness of the importance of leading a healthy life.

The whole Perfect Circle team is really excited about this new campaign, which will be centred around Telford Football Club to encourage an increase in mens health checks and an improvement to the lives of middle aged men in the Telford and Wrekin region.

Education Marketing Site Launch Jan 2011

As the UK’s leading education marketing specialist with over 15 years experience serving the education sector, we have built our reputation on getting results for schools, colleges and academies across the UK and have developed proven methodologies to achieve this.

To enable our education clients to get the dedicated information that they require and need, Perfect Circle will be launching Perfect Education in January 2011.  This innovative new website will feature information specific to the education sector and its primary objective will be to provide schools, colleges and academies with information about how they can grow their rolls. 

With a dedicated TV channel that will broadcast Hi definition content and access to free reports on growing schools, colleges and academies, Perfect Education will reinforce Perfect Circle’s positioning as the UK’s leading Education marketing specialists.

If you would like to discuss any education marketing requirements that you may have then you can request a call back or call us on 01706 373440 or visit Perfect Education.

Independent school issues all students with iPads

A Scottish independent Christian school has opted to educate its pupils by ditching paper and pens and instead issuing the children with iPads.

Students at the Cedars School of Excellence in Greenock, Scotland will learn using Apple’s tablet PC, at a cost of about £14.50 per user per month.

Head of computing and IT co-ordinator Fraser Speirs said the move began as an exercise that the private school carried out in January 2010.

“Up until then we had used iMacs in the computing lab, then we moved to laptops, which could be used in other classes outside of IT,” he said.

“These laptops were booked constantly and the students couldn’t get enough of them for the things they wanted to do.”

So Speirs decided that the iPod Touch could be a solution to this demand from classes as it is relatively cheap and gives children access to the web.

“However, there were a few problems with it: it didn’t have a word processor that was suitable, you couldn’t put a keyboard on it and we couldn’t connect it to a projector.”

About a month after that exercise, Apple launched the iPad.

“It resolved all the problems we were having with the iPod Touch and many more besides,” said Speirs. “We realised this was the ideal thing we were looking for.”

Speirs explained that the major challenge in rolling out iPads was adherence to Apple’s terms and conditions. The terms of Apple’s App Store meant that the school could only have five desktop computers synchronising with each App store account. But it could have a reasonable number of iPads synchronising with each desktop computer.

“So we developed a system whereby each form group would have a desktop computer and that form’s iPads would synch to that one computer.

“This allowed us to buy an app from the desktops and move it onto the iPads. Those intricacies were the most difficult thing we encountered,” he added.

Speirs revealed that owing to the popularity of the iPad, the school was not able to obtain much of a discount and had to pay close to retail price. It is currently on a rolling three-year lease.

“When you look at the amount we spend on education, £14.50 per month per pupil regardless of how many classes we take, it is quite affordable really,” said Speirs.

He said that the results have already been quite dramatic. Student engagement has vastly improved, but working out how it affects attainment will take some time.

“Even though we’re not teaching new subjects – we’re teaching the same material – but we’re teaching it in a new way.

“It strikes me that it just makes sense to the kids. They deal with information electronically and so we’re doing things in a way that suits them. We find kids are engaged for so much longer than they were with just pencil and paper – it’s remarkable,” he added.

Should you be interesting in learning more about maxmising the use of iPads in schools, or develop apps then click here, send us an e-mail or simply drop us a line on the usual number 01706 373440.