On this page:

• Brochures
• Cancer Information Resources
• Communication Planning
• Community Relations/Special Events
• Update E-newsletter
• Graphic identity
• Marketing/Public Relations
• Media Interviews
• News Releases
• Newsletters
• Stationery Usage Guidelines
• Tours

Brochures

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Mayo Mail Code 806
Available to:  Cancer Center Members
User cost:  Varies

New Material: The Cancer Center provides professional assistance to help members develop effective brochures and other collateral material. See sections on Effective Communications, Graphic Identity, and Marketing/Public Relations.

Existing Material: To obtain copies of existing material, contact ccinfo@umn.edu. There may be a charge for quantities greater than 100.

• Annual Reviews/Annual Report: Annual Reviews for 96 and 97 and the Annual Reports for 1998-2005 are available.
• Cancer Center News: Back issues of the newsletter are available.
• Cancer Center Paper: Cream-colored paper with maroon banner on top.
• National Cancer Institute: The NCI has a catalogue of consumer materials available. Email ccinfo@umn.edu to review the catalogue.

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Cancer Information Resources

1-888-CANCER MN (1-888-226-2376) for long distance calls from the five state area (MN, IA, ND, SD, and WI).
Contacts: Marva Bohen and Sharon Donnelly. Phone for both: 612-624-2620 
Dinnaken Office Building
Suite 310 
925 Delaware Street SE 
Minneapolis, MN  55414 
Available to: Medical professionals, cancer patients and their families.
User cost: None

Provides reliable cancer information to callers from the five state area (Minnesota, Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin).  Affiliated with the NCI's Cancer Patient Education Network (CPEN).  Develops contacts with Minnesota cancer care resources for the purpose of education about cancer risks, prevention and treatment.

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Communication Planning

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Mayo Mail Code 806
Available to:  Cancer Center Members
User cost:  Varies
Effective communication — whether you're trying to obtain additional referrals or explain a news research protocol to a newspaper reporter — requires planning.  Following are some tips to effective communication:
1. Define the Need — Why do you want to communicate?
2. Determine Who Needs to Know — Who can support or derail the initiative?
3. Determine Audience attitudes and Impact — What's in it for me?
4. Develop and Execute a Plan to Meet Communication Needs:

• What do I want to happen?
• Who needs to know?
• What do I need to say?
• When do I need to say it?
• How am I going to communicate?
• How will I know if I'm successful?

Evaluate Results — Was the desired action or attitude achieved?

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Community Relations/Special Events

Primary Contact: Sandra Rivera
612-625-4441
Dinnaken Office Building
Suite 310
925 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Available to: Cancer Center Members
User cost: Varies

Special events, like all communication and marketing activities, should have clearly defined objectives and should be designed to meet those objectives. (See communication planning.) Please call or e-mail Sandra Rivera at 612-624-5551 regarding all special events that involve the general public. In addition to providing suggestions, Sandra can assist with publicizing the event and in making sure it does not conflict with other activities. We can also supply you with a list of vendors.

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Update E-newsletter

Primary Contact: Sandi Sherman
612-626-0671
fax: 612-626-3941
Cancer Center Research Building
420 Delaware Street, MMC 806
Room 654
Minneapolis, MN  55455
Available to:  Cancer Center Members
User cost:  None
A weekly Update is sent to all cancer center members and staff via email. Updates include the following:

• conference notices
• new members
• media coverage/news releases
• kudos
• award announcements
• miscellaneous information

Information for Update should be emailed to Sandi Sherman.  We retain the right to edit submissions.

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Graphic Identity

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson
612-624-6165
Mayo Mail Code 806 
Available to: Cancer Center Members
User cost: Varies

Masonic Cancer Center Logo
Contact Mary Lawson with inquiries about the official Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota logo and wordmark.

NCI Logo
Members may use this logo in printed materials when accompanied by the Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota name. If interested, call 612-624-8484. You will need to provide a draft of the materials for review and a final copy for filing. The Masonic Cancer Center reserves the right to restrict usage of the name and the NCI-CCC logo.

Colors
Most Cancer Center collateral materials are printed on a cream or buff colored paper with maroon print. (The specific color for use by printers is PMS201 for uncoated paper, PMS202 for coated paper.) We also use a dark green, rust, and orange/beige. These colors were chosen to complement the color scheme within the new research building.

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Marketing/Public Relations

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Mayo Mail Code  806
Available to: Cancer Center Members
User cost:  Varies

Marketing, public relations, and community relations are often used interchangeably because all these activities help to promote an organization and build good will and may use similar tactics to do so, such as newsletters, special events, publicity and brochures. The term or approach you use should depend upon what you are trying to accomplish.

Marketing: Marketing's focus is on an exchange between two or more parties for goods or services.  For example, we provide health care services to enrollees in a health plan in exchange for money. We provide research in exchange for grants. These exchanges do not necessarily have to be monetary, yet there is a transaction of some sort.

Public Relations: Public relations' focus is on using effective communication to establish mutually beneficial relationships between an organization and the people or groups that are affected by it. For example, the ability for the Masonic Cancer Center to succeed is contingent upon good relations with its members, the university community, the legislature, donors, the news media, the general public, physicians, other researchers, and the medical community.  Public relations activities are aimed at determining the needs of these audiences and informing various audiences how the Masonic Cancer Center fulfills those needs.

Community Relations: Community relations' focus is primarily on providing services to the community to help the community and to build goodwill toward the organization. For example, the community open house, a speaker's bureau, cancer screening, etc. are all examples of services the fulfill a need in the community as well as building a positive image for the Masonic Cancer Center. 

The Masonic Cancer Center assists its members to various degrees in all of these areas. 

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Media Interviews

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Available to:  Members
User cost:  None

Every inquiry from the news media is an opportunity to promote the Masonic Cancer Center and your individual program or research area.  Preparation is the key to making interviews a positive interaction and members can contact Mary Lawson to help prepare for interviews. You can also contact the AHC Office of Communications at 612-624-4604.

Please view the Interview Tips page for some tips and guidelines for effective media relations, with acknowledgment to "Media for Health Care Managers" by Frank M. Corrado, and guidelines from Aronson Ward, Inc., Executive Communications.

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News Releases

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Available to:  Members
User cost:  None

The Masonic Cancer Center works with the University's News Service and the Academic Health Center Communications Office to write and distribute news releases or suggest feature story ideas to the news media. (Fairview public relations is involved in hospital-related news.)  To work with public relations, the member's affiliation with the Masonic Cancer Center must be prominently displayed in the news release and members should identify themselves as a member in any subsequent media coverage.

Potentially newsworthy information could include:

• New grants
• Published reports — esp. articles in NEJM, JAMA, Cancer, Nature, Science, Lancet, etc.
• New protocols
• Medical breakthroughs
• Potential crisis
• Heartwarming patient

Please contact Mary Lawson to discuss your news.  If a news release is appropriate, the following steps occur:

1. Rough draft of release prepared.
2. Draft sent to principal investigator and AHC Communications for comments/feedback.
3. Revised draft sent to principal investigator with copy sent to Masonic Cancer Center leadership (step 2 and 3 may be combined for simple or time-sensitive releases).
4. Amy and the principal investigator meet to discuss key messages for potential media interviews and discuss timing of news release to make sure the PI is available for interviews.  (See section on Media Interviews)
5. If appropriate, patients identified and contacted to see if they would be willing to give the "patient" side of the story.
6. Release distributed by fax to trade publications, medical writers and the general news media via the University's News Service.
7. All media calls go to Jennifer, who schedules interviews with the Principal Investigator.

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News from your Cancer Center Newsletter

Primary Contact: Mary Lawson, Public Relations Director
612-624-6165
Available to:  Members
User cost:  None

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Stationery Usage Guidelines

NCI Logo for Printed Materials: 
Members may use this logo in printed materials when accompanied by the Masonic Cancer Center's name. If interested, contact ccinfo@umn.edu. You will need to provide a draft of the materials for review and a final copy for filing. The Masonic Cancer Center reserves the right to restrict usage of the University of Minnesota Cancer Center name and the NCI-CCC logo. 

U of M Cancer Center Stationery:
The Masonic Cancer Center has received an exception from University of Minnesota stationery standards to have the NCI-CCC logo on official University of Minnesota letterhead.  When the NCI-CCC logo is used on U of M stationery, the name "Masonic Cancer Center, University of Minnesota " must appear in the middle section of the letterhead along with, or in place of, a member's school, division, and/or department. Members may either order this stationery through the Masonic Cancer Center by contacting Accounting, 612-625-9469 (you will be cross-charged for this) and using a template to add your address, phone, etc., or you may order your own stationery through printing services and attach a copy of the stationery. 

Cancer Center "maroon and cream" paper:
The maroon and cream paper used to announce seminars is also available for members to promote cancer-related events or for cancer-related information. Contact SvenErik Olsen, 612-626-5437.  There may be a cross charge for quantities over 200.

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Tours

Primary Contact: Sandra Rivera
612-625-4441
Fax: 612-625-1620
Dinnaken Office Building
Suite 310
925 Delaware Street SE
Minneapolis, MN 55414
Available to: Members
User cost: Refreshments if requested

To schedule a tour for groups of 10 or more, call Sandra Rivera at 612-625-4441. For “VIP”s, we can arrange for researchers to talk about their lab work or to have a member speak to the group.

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