Media relations with surgical precision – Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
Barkers has been providing the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh with media relations for several years – raising its profile significantly in the process.
Prior to our involvement, awareness of the Royal College, its aims and services was low, but with its Quincentenary just around the corner, it saw an opportunity to turn this around. Barkers was brought on board and set about establishing what the organisation should be saying to its stakeholders.
Through research, we found that the key areas to communicate on behalf of the Royal College are:
- It is an independent, international organization
- Promotion of the highest surgical standards
- It is proud of its 500 years history, but is innovative and adaptable
A comprehensive PR strategy was developed around these key messages, which focused on developing close links with journalists and identifying hooks to show the genuine forward-thinking approach by the Royal College.
The Royal College is now regarded by many health journalists as the first port of call on many health-related stories and is the subject of features which help to bring it to life for the general public, as well as current and future surgeons.