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Public perceptions of aged care are set to receive a boost in the new year with the launch of a multimedia campaign on behalf of the national, not-for-profit industry association.
Aged and Community Services Australia (ACSA) has appointed advertising agency Ursa Communications to develop the groundbreaking communications campaign.
Although key details are yet to be decided, it is likely that the campaign will be conducted across a range of mediums, including radio, television, print and the internet.
The association’s CEO Greg Mundy said the campaign was a major priority for the industry.
“This is something we have been working on for quite a long time and we are quite excited about it,” said Mr Mundy.
“One of the things people often complain about is the industry’s poor public image.”
The campaign will draw on recent research into the image of aged care conducted on behalf of ACSA by McGregor Tan.
Based on four empirical surveys and 20 in-depth executive interviews, the image project revealed that people within the aged care industry are much more critical about their work than the general public.
Twenty-four per cent of employees and 20 per cent of providers in the sector had negative perceptions about aged care, compared to only 14 per cent of consumers and members of the general public.
“There are quite a few positives we can take out of this, including the strong reservoir of support in the community for aged and community care,” said Mr Mundy.
Ursa has a background in health communications and has conducted work for other not-for-profit organisations, including the Red Cross and Vision Australia.
The agency’s CEO, Nigel Cowan said his team is very excited about working on the ACSA campaign.
“The people working within the aged care industry do amazing work and are committed to the people they support. It’s a great basis from which powerful communication can be built,” said Mr Cowan.
It is believed that Ursa will develop a strategy before the end of the year to be rolled out in early 2009.
Mr Mundy and Mr Cowan will reveal more details about the campaign at the ACSA National Conference, which begins at the end of this month in Adelaide.
Across the Tasman, HealthCare Providers New Zealand has launched an online campaign to draw attention to the needs of the country’s aged care sector in the lead up to the country’s national elections later this year.
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