Nancy Haugen, Ph.D.
About the Client
Dr. Nancy Haugen is a licensed clinical psychologist with a full-time practice and over 25 years of experience. She has a Bachelors in Speech Education, a Masters in Psychology and a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology. She serves as a volunteer faculty at UCSF’s prestigious School of Medicine and won the 2002 Kaiser Award for Excellence in Teaching. Dr. Haugen is also a member of the American Psychological Association and the California State Psychological Association.
Dr. Haugen is a recognized expert on the subject of death. She works with patients individually in her private practice and, having identified an opportunity to share her knowledge and expertise with a broader audience, created a seminar dealing with the practicalities and choices of death.
Strategy
Dr. Haugen hired Galvin Communications to publicize her seminars locally. The objective was to increase seminar registrations while building the credibility and visibility necessary to take the seminar to other parts of the country. In addition, Dr. Haugen wished to generate enough press coverage to be seen as the media’s “go-to” expert on the topic of death.
The topic was a challenge. Death is still considered taboo in many circles. To overcome resistance, we tied Dr. Haugen’s story to a recent announcement by HBO that its funeral drama “Six Feet Under” had received 16 Emmy nominations. Our efforts were bolstered in May 2004, when the CBS forensic drama “C.S.I.: Crime Scene Investigation” averaged 26.2 million viewers per week and toppled both “Friends” and “ER” in the ratings. Tying Dr. Haugen’s story into these news hooks helped us catch the attention of journalists.
Results
Our media outreach efforts resulted in two profiles of Dr. Haugen, one in the Mill Valley Herald and the other in the Marin Independent Journal. The latter was an in-depth, 2,500 word piece detailing Dr. Haugen’s expertise and her seminar. It appeared on the front page of the Lifestyles section, accompanied by several color photographs. Both articles generated significant interest from the community and drew registrants for her next seminar.
We also put Dr. Haugen in touch with journalists around the country, positioning her as the “go-to” expert on the subject of death. She was quoted by the Oakland Tribune in an article on the Day of the Dead, and contributed to the topic of ethical wills in both the Chicago Tribune and USA Today (the nation’s largest newspaper). Fittingly, she was asked to comment on the passing of Elisabeth Kubler Ross, the preeminent thinker on death and dying, for radio’s Voice of America program.