COVID-19 Crisis Communications — Johns Hopkins Medicine's Comprehensive Response
Johns Hopkins Medicine Marketing and Communications
At Johns Hopkins Medicine (JHM), the Department of Marketing and Communications’ rapid response to the COVID-19 pandemic included supporting our Incident Command team, faculty and staff with communications in an environment of constant urgency and uncertainty. Our work positioned JHM as a leading source of trusted, accurate and timely information for the public, patients, the scientific community and global media.
In January, we launched our Coronavirus (COVID-19) Information and Updates microsite to provide worldwide audiences with precise, authoritative information from our experts. Through June 30, we developed more than 90 pages of content, receiving nearly 29 million page views, with an average time on page of more than four minutes.
In March, we launched our COVID-19 Internal Resource Portal to provide JHM faculty and staff one-stop access to important resources related to our COVID-19 response. Through June 30, the site received more than 100,000 page views.
From January through June, we managed more than 1,800 media requests, and JHM Experts appeared in nearly 22,000 stories, featuring a total of 66 Experts, 20 of whom are from underrepresented minority backgrounds.
These are a just a few of the outstanding accomplishments that were supported by every single member of our team.
What was the most impactful part of your award-winning entry?
Sustained top-ranking Google search results, including #1 position for “What Is Coronavirus?,” “What Coronavirus Does to Lungs” and “Coronavirus in Babies.” Social channels drove a 293% increase to our website. One video about efforts to develop a vaccine received 250,000 views.
What is one thing you learned from this experience?
We learned — or at least tried — to look our best on Zoom while wearing slippers and pajama bottoms below acceptable work tops or shirts, shushing toddlers, puppies and kittens, and maintaining our mental and physical health during a P-A-N-D-E-M-I-C!
What challenge did you overcome?
Developed triage system for review/approval of all communications, including broadcast emails (more than 200), web content (more than 70 articles), press releases and tip sheets (nearly 30), videos (85) and public signage (161 requests, with many translated into multiple languages).
Contact
Michael Keating, mkeating@jhmi.edu