A prestigious international meeting such as the recent G 20 summit in Pittsburgh means one thing to marketing professionals: Lots of media. In anticipation of this influx, three local institutions joined forces to sponsor media tours aimed at gaining exposure for the contributions their research efforts have made to the Pittsburgh economy. The University of Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), and Carnegie Mellon University, according to the media alert the institutions disseminated, account for more than $1 billion annually in research funding and “have spun off hundreds of companies and created thousands of jobs in the last 15 years, enhancing the region’s economy and quality of life.” The media tours included numerous high-tech research centers at the two universities, as well as UPMC’s Children’s Hospital.

“When we heard the G 20 summit was coming to Pittsburgh and the press was talking about the economic transformation of Pittsburgh from heavy industry to high-tech, we knew the media would be interested in our ‘Eds and Meds’ story,” says Maddy Ross, associate vice chancellor for national media at the University of Pittsburgh. In fact, she adds, that phrase was actually coined by The New York Times and other media outlets “because that transformation was heavily based on the power of our medical and educational institutions.” It was for those and other reasons that the media alert heralding the tours carried the headline: “Transforming Pittsburgh’s Economy: Carnegie Mellon, the University of Pittsburgh and UPMC Offer Technology and Science Tours to Media Covering the Pittsburgh Summit.”

“The University of Pittsburgh is considered one of the finest research institutions; right across the street is Carnegie Mellon; and UPMC, although it bears our name, is now a separate entity and is one of the finest — if not the finest — and largest medical campuses in the country,” says Ross. “We thought it would be helpful to the journalists who came to town to see what the Eds and Meds story looks like on the ground.” A detailed article on the media tours appears in the November 2009 issue of Intellectual Property Marketing Advisor. For subscription information, CLICK HERE.

Posted November 10th, 2009 under Intellectual Property Marketing

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