Myth busting

By Matthew Walsh, Member Communications Specialist, October 1, 2024

It has been two years since the launch of Your Dermatologist Knows, a consumer positioning strategy the Academy developed in direct response to member concerns that the Academy needs to do more to increase public awareness of the unmatched expertise, training, and scope of care offered by dermatologists. In that time, the AAD has gone to extraordinary lengths to position dermatologists as the experts and ensure that the public knows that if they have an issue with their skin, hair, or nails, the first and only stop should be with a board-certified dermatologist.

The bulk of the Your Dermatologist Knows strategy centers around social and traditional media. A robust social media presence and an aggressive traditional media pitching strategy ensure that the public is consistently presented with information showcasing the knowledge and expertise that only comes from a board-certified dermatologist.

The unfortunate truth is that anyone can post information online, regardless of their expertise. This is why the Academy works diligently to produce and share as much information as possible. While the strategy does cover a wide range of topics, it is at its strongest when used to specifically counter misinformation or dangerous social media trends.

Fake Botox

Earlier this year, the FDA issued a warning about the emerging prevalence of fake Botox. The Academy’s media relations team realized this could be an opportunity to position dermatologists as the experts on this topic, and as leaders in patient safety.

Missy Lundberg, the Academy’s associate director of public communications and media, describes this process as ‘newsjacking.’ “We are increasingly running our media relations program as a newsroom, tracking what’s newsworthy out there and finding a way to insert the perspective of the Academy and the expertise of board-certified dermatologists into what the journalists are already covering — as well as what is trending online as a result,” said Lundberg.

The Academy released a statement and worked directly with reporters at important media outlets. “Dermatologists are the ones who pioneered the use of Botox in aesthetic procedures, and our members have a long safety record and deep expertise in this area,” said Katie Domanowski, the AAD’s director of communications. “It was an important time to get our members’ voices out there to make it clear to the public who the experts are, and why it’s important to look for that expertise before receiving any kind of procedure.”

“It was an important time to get our members’ voices out there to make it clear to the public who the experts are, and why it’s important to look for that expertise before receiving any kind of procedure.”

AAD President Seemal R. Desai, MD, FAAD, issued a statement regarding fake Botox, which Domanowski said was also a key part of the response strategy. “I was impressed by how quickly and efficiently the Academy worked to make sure I was prepared to represent the specialty and address this issue that has the potential to negatively impact our patients,” said Dr. Desai. “I hope every member can be as reassured as I am that the talented AAD staff is working tirelessly to position dermatologists as the experts and that they will always be there to support you and make sure you have the necessary information and talking points to have discussions with anyone, including your patients.”

Kara Jilek, the Academy’s senior manager of social media, emphasized the important role played by the AAD Social Media Correspondents. “We worked with Social Media Correspondent Ronda Farah, MD, FAAD, who recorded a video that provided a summary of the story and educated the public about the importance of seeing a board-certified dermatologist for cosmetic treatments — specifically Botox.”

“Due to our swift response to the Botox issue, the Academy was able to generate a significant amount of media coverage and social media engagement that positions dermatologists as the experts and the leaders in patient safety,” Lundberg added.

Vampire facials

After the Academy’s successful response to counterfeit Botox, it didn’t take long for another opportunity to arise: vampire facials.

“Vampire facials are a newer procedure that not all of our members are doing, but the Academy did want the public to be aware it is a medical procedure and there are safety concerns,” Domanowski said — including the contraction of HIV. “We stressed to the public that any time that you’re dealing with someone injecting needles in your face or anytime you’re dealing with blood, physicians are the ones who have been trained in how to handle that material and these procedures most effectively. So, if you do choose to have that procedure done, the expertise of a board-certified dermatologist is critical.”

A similar traditional media strategy to the one used with fake Botox was used again for vampire facials. “We asked the doctors on our media expert team to offer their personal, professional opinions to media outlets to, again, make use of the opportunity to position dermatologists as the experts and as the leaders in patient safety,” Lundberg said.

On the social media side, Social Media Correspondent Sara Moghaddam, MD, FAAD, made a video for Instagram and Dr. Farah made one for TikTok, reiterating the importance of making sure patients know the credentials of the person providing their care. “Those videos had a very wide reach,” said Jilek.

Sunscreen

In May, an article in The Atlantic claimed that moderate sun exposure is good and can help with the absorption of vitamin D. “The Academy is a strong advocate for all kinds of sun protection, including sunscreen, so we drafted a letter to the editor of The Atlantic stating the Academy’s objection to the article,” Lundberg said. “But the issue grew throughout the spring and summer as the Environmental Working Group released its annual report on sunscreen saying that some sunscreen ingredients are not safe. The story started to grow, and so did the amount of misinformation.”

“The idea that people need more sun exposure in order to get adequate amounts of vitamin D is a myth that the Academy frequently debunks, so when we saw this bubbling to the surface again, we implemented a full-court press in terms of combating that misinformation,” said Domanowski.

“The media relations team developed talking points, both for Dr. Desai and the media expert team and our social ambassadors,” Lundberg said. “Dr. Desai and the Academy’s media expert team members did interviews with a lot of high-profile news outlets, like the Washington Post, that generated a lot of media coverage. Fortunately, other than The Atlantic article, almost all the articles poked holes in the social media myths and said, definitively, that dermatologists are the experts.”

“The social media team worked very closely with the media relations team, who had put together a number of talking points, and then used those to create a larger source of information for the membership to use if they were being asked questions by patients or the media,” said Jilek. “We used all of that information to come up with a five-video series on social media that addressed some of the top myths and misconceptions that were circulating on social media. Those did very well.”

Your Dermatologist Knows media coverage in 2024

Impact on public perception

While individual tactics focus on specific issues, the overall goal of Your Dermatologist Knows is to improve the positioning of board-certified dermatologists with the public. Before the strategy’s launch, surveys indicated that the overall feeling was already quite strong, but that there was still room for improvement, especially with certain demographics.

“We are always trying to speak as broadly as we can, but we do place special focus on specifically speaking to women ages 25 to 35 because they either already are, or are about to become, the primary health care decision makers for their household. Additionally, they tend to have a more positive opinion of non-physician clinicians,” Domanowski said. “The Academy conducted a pulse survey this year with that target group and found that the positioning for dermatologists has improved significantly since the last time that we surveyed on these topics. That really showcased that the Your Dermatologist Knows efforts are having an impact on the perceptions of dermatologists as the go-to physician for any questions you have about skin, hair, and nails.”

“The more member voices that participate in the effort, the more effective the dermatologists’ and the Academy’s strength and advocacy will be.”

Your Dermatologist Knows is not only impacting the way the public perceives dermatologists but is also having an effect on potential patients choosing to seek care from a board-certified dermatologist.

“Through the survey, the Academy found that respondents who had previously seen any of our Your Dermatologist Knows videos were more likely to have seen a dermatologist in the past few years,” Lundberg said. “So that confirms to us that the Your Dermatologist Knows social media strategy is an important tactic for us to reach our target audience and deliver key messages about the importance of seeking care from the experts: board-certified dermatologists.”

A crucial part in developing strategies for Your Dermatologist Knows-related traditional and social media pushes is ensuring the language used will resonate well with the public. One poorly worded message could potentially reverse years’ worth of public good will, and as such, great care goes into the crafting of each message to ensure that all messages continue to move the needle in a positive direction.

“When the Academy conducted its initial research before developing the Your Dermatologist Knows strategy, the public specifically said they didn’t want to hear any negative stories about other professionals,” Lundberg said. “They wanted to hear what was positive about dermatology. These opportunities, like newsjacking, give us that opportunity to insert the Academy’s messages without calling out any other professionals, but rather showcasing the dermatologist’s expertise and strengths in these areas, which again, the public specifically told us they preferred.”

Looking to the future

As Your Dermatologist Knows enters its third year, the strategy will continue to evolve as the Academy learns more about the best way to develop tactics.

“We have monthly sessions with the social media correspondents,” said Jilek. “We discuss: What are your patients asking about in your office right now? What are you seeing on social media that you think the AAD should address? They have brought some of these stories to our attention.”

So, is there anything you can do to help? According to Lundberg, it’s simple to get involved.

“The Academy encourages members to join in the media relations and social media efforts,” Lundberg said. “The more member voices that participate in the effort, the more effective the dermatologists’ and the Academy’s strength and advocacy will be. Members can get involved by participating in media training — offered at the AAD Annual Meeting — on how to develop and deliver key messages. This can help not only with the media, but also in conversations with your colleagues and patients.”

“The Academy has longstanding relationships with the media, and they come to the Academy because they know that they can get research-based information and interviews with expert, board-certified dermatologists,” Lundberg added. “Our doctors are very responsive, and they give good information. It’s a great partnership between the Academy, our members, and the media.”

Additional DermWorld Resources