ADAVB 2018/2019 Annual Report

A D A V B A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 8 / 1 9 | 1 1 of communication in the ADAVB Membership Survey, with 72 per cent of members reading it ‘often or always’ and increasing to 92 per cent when including those who reported reading it ‘sometimes’. Over 70 per cent of members were satisfied or extremely satisfied with the Victorian Dentist . Planned media activity around World Oral Health Day, Dental Health Week, the public dentistry EBA campaign, Victoria’s oral health and mapping of long waiting times, and added sugar food product labelling, led to increased media presence with more proactive media releases generated – 16 media releases in 2018/19, up from 12 in 2017/18. The ADAVB continued to feature prominently in television, print and radio stories related to dental health, raising our profile. Many media organisations are now contacting the ADAVB to comment on these issues. In 2018/19, more than 70 news items were posted on the ADAVB’s website on issues ranging from promotion of lifestyle benefits and member services, through to public dentistry, private health insurance and other advocacy issues. These activities resulted in an increase in requests for media interviews with key spokespeople, including the ADAVB President and ADAVB CEO, and as a result, more public media exposure on television, radio, online and in print media. Presence at events, both through branded merchandise and staff attendance, was improved. New banners, signage and resources have improved ADAVB visibility at events and have presented a contemporary and approachable image, particularly at university events. Member communication ADAVB presence on social media continued to increase, with both organic and paid posts. Relevant and contemporary content resulted in unprecedented reach and engagement, particularly on posts about the new ADAVB President in June 2019, Victoria’s oral health crisis and the public dentistry EBA campaign throughout 2018, and social campaigns such as the 12 Days of Christmas in 2018, World Smile Day in October 2018 and International Women’s Day (IWD) in March 2019. A new social media platform – Instagram – was introduced in June 2018 to further engage with younger members, particularly students. The increased engagement across all social media platforms was mainly targeted at students and recent graduates. The IWD promotion, which highlighted leading ADAVB women, and culminated in an IWD dinner prize with the ADAVB president for three young members, also resulted in an increase in visits to the website for further information about leadership opportunities and more importantly, an increase in the numbers of applications for the Health Sector Leadership Program and BOQ Specialist Bursary Programs. Email campaigns to members consistently achieved higher than industry standard email open and click rates. Targeted email and advertising campaigns were executed for numerous key activities relating to membership, advocacy, policy changes, statutory requirement updates, and CPD and practice training. Opportunities for volunteering, committee positions and survey feedback were widely promoted – highlighting the value of getting involved with the ADAVB.