Best practices for community
relations: Case study of the
Hispanic Wellness Fair
Presented by Dr. Kay L. Colley
Assistant Professor
Texas Wesleyan University
at University College Day April 7, 2009

Community relations
•Developing relationships
•Creating activities that fill a community need
•Allowing an organization to engender mutual
trust with its community
•Focusing on:
•Opinion leaders
•Group influence
•Audience participation

History of HWF
Community Assessment in 1998 by City of Fort
Worth, Texas discovered:
•Almost half of population of people who
lacked health insurance were Hispanic
•Hispanics had limited access to healthcare
•Other factors contributed to poor health
•Many people got healthcare from free fairs

Challenges
Creating trust among the population
served
Finding healthcare providers
Providing referral networks
Communicating to the intended
audience a sense of understanding

First year HWF
•Began in 1999
•Focus on providers
•Results for 1999
•75 providers
•1000 to 2000 participants

Case Study Year 2005
Year 7—2005
•Reached capacity of venue
•200 providers
•16,000 participants

Methodology
•Case study analysis
•Literature review
•In-depth interviews of co-founders
•In-depth interview of 2005 organizer
•Participant observer status
•Intercept survey in 2005

Literature review
•Public Relations Society of America Silver
Anvil Award Winners—Case studies
•Search terms used:
Hispanic
Community relations
•Professional articles from PR Tactics focusing
on Hispanic audience

Literature review
•Four cases from 2000 to 2004
•Tactics used:
•Bilingual media markets
•Radio and television Public Service Announcements
•Celebrity spokespeople
•Bilingual collateral materials
•Building coalitions

Marketing of 2005 Hispanic
Wellness Fair
•Marketing Task Force
•Kick off luncheon
•Collateral materials
•Spanish-language media use

Marketing Task Force
•Employees of UNTHSC
•Public health department
•Largest employers in Fort Worth
•Local marketing agencies

Kick off luncheon
•Spanish-language media
•Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
•Local healthcare providers
•Local marketing agencies
•Previous participants

Collateral materials
•Role of local marketing agencies
•Blanket approach
•Use of connections
•Public health department
•School district
•Churches
•Local businesses

Spanish-language media use
•Sponsorships
•Public service announcements
•Paid advertising
•Bilingual press releases
•Calendar listings

Comparison results
Spanish-
Marketing
language
Task Force
media
Building
coalitions
Local
Kick off
marketing
Luncheon
agencies

Intercept Survey Results
Language of survey
Spanish TOTAL
English
42 74
116
(36%) (64%)
How did you hear about the HWF?
Other 41 (38.0%)
TV 35 (32.4%)
FWISD flyer 12 (11.1%)
Flyer 6 (5.6%)
Health 6 (5.6%)
Department staff
Radio 6 (5.6%)
Bus sign 1 (.9%)
Posters 1 (.9%)

How did you find out about the Hispanic Wellness
Fair?
31%
38%
11%
1% 6%
6%
6%
1%
TV FWISD flyer Flyer
Health Department staff Radio Bus sign
Posters Other
Other includes:
•Authority housing •La Estrella •TV & School Flyer
•Bethlehem Center •Neighbor •TV, Newspaper, Church
•Church •Newspaper •TV, Radio & School Flyer
•Family •Organization who had •TV, Radio, & Newspaper
•Friend •TV, Radio, & Family
display
•Gran Fiesta de Fort •Passing by •TV, School Bulletin &
•Radio & Health Dept Staff
Worth Flyers
•HISPA •Restaurant Flyer •Water bill
•KISD Flyer •TV & Flyers •WIC

Conclusion
“The reason the Fair has grown is
community trust. We treat everybody and
anybody who comes.”
Robert Galvan, co-founder

Conclusion
•Survey contradicts this assertion
•Expanded audience
•Blanket approach to marketing
•Building coalitions
•Word of mouth marketing

Marketing to Hispanic
community is
community relations