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AAPRC Weekly: Wendy Campbell

Wendy Campbell
Founder & President
Campbell & Company
Alexandria VA


Last fall, Wendy Campbell tracked down a woman she hadn't spoken to in more than ten years just to say thank you. The woman, a former co-worker of Campbell's at the American Red Cross, had given Campbell the best advice she'd ever gotten, urging her to leave her comfortable position as head of public affairs for the American Red Cross' European Command and join the leading public relations firm Porter/Novelli. Campbell had been hesitant to make the switch because her Red Cross position had her stationed in Europe––in Germany––and she was enjoying the life and the travel. Campbell can recall the woman's words exactly: "She said to me: 'You can buy your own damn ticket. Take the job.'"

Campbell took the advice and the job. And not only did she buy her own ticket, she wrote her own ticket, going from Porter/Novelli to founder and president of Campbell & Company, a public relations firm headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia. Now in its tenth year, Campbell's agency counts the White House Office of Drug Control Policy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Institutes of Health among its clients.

Campbell & Company is one of the few PR agencies in the country that specializes in healthcare issues. It's the only one owned by a black woman and the only one that focuses exclusively on public health issues that affect African-Americans. "I've watched family members die of chronic diseases like lung cancer and diabetes," Campbell explains. "I noticed they were very reliant on doctor's orders––if the doctor didn't tell them they didn't know what to do."

Passionate about wanting to improve the health and well-being of African-Americans, Campbell's five-person shop has been instrumental in projects such as the launch of the American Diabetes Association’s first national public education campaign targeting African Americans––the effort reached more than 75 million people. Campbell developed the media relations strategy that launched the Diabetes Prevention Program, the largest diabetes clinical trial ever. Campbell also has created or helped develop: "Every Hour of Every Day," the first public education campaign for the American Red Cross' African-American HIV/AIDS Program; "Some of the Best Things in Life are Free," a public awareness campaign highlighting the [Washington, DC] District’s Child Health Insurance Program; and "The Sooner. The Better.," a public education campaign for the state of Virginia designed to increase awareness of signs of development delay in infants and toddlers. Campbell & Company campaigns utilize tools such as focus groups, multi-city media satellite tours, direct mail, print, radio and transit advertising and the development of consumer materials such as handbooks, information kits and other publications.

The results of Campbell & Company's efforts? Tens of millions of "impressions," and a public armed with a little more knowledge about the issues that impact their well being. "Our biggest challenge right now is…now that we're getting to the point where more attention is being paid to black health care issues, we're trying to get bigger budgets to do work that we want," says Campbell. "We're trying to turn the tide a little bit to reverse some of these conditions."

In addition to the challenges of Campbell's mission––educating African-Americans about health––there is the challenge of competing on the national level as a small, African-American, woman-owned firm. "I am always more motivated because people expect us not to do well," she says. "Because we're a small black firm the expectation is that we might not deliver…We always put into our proposals…specific milestones that we will meet, numerical targets whenever possible. And we exceed those milestones, every time."

Does Campbell worry about the firm's niche becoming a vulnerability? "Unfortunately, as people live longer they're more susceptible to chronic diseases," Campbell points out. "And the federal government is putting a lot of money into healthcare disparities. I'm convinced that if we had been more of a general firm, after September 11th, we would have been out of business."

Campbell sees the firm's exclusivity as its biggest strength, especially when competing for government contracts. "When we go in and pitch, and we've done work for CDC and NIH and the American Liver Foundation and on and on and on––we get it. [Our focus is] what makes us competitive."

As she looks to the firm's future, Campbell wants it bigger. She hopes to expand into education, a logical counterpoint to their healthcare focus. "I have a vision for what it can be, and we're not there yet. I realize that it will get there and that it's just a matter of time," Campbell insists. "I hope we are the first firm that people call when they're talking about African-American health issues. I want to have that kind of credibility. I want to have that kind of impact."

Campbell––who graduated from Hampton University with a B.A, in Mass Media, has an M.A. in organizational communications from Howard University and has completed post-graduate courses in marketing and market research at George Washington University––is a long way from the first-time business owner she was a decade ago. Back then she thought owning her own business would be less stressful than being an employee. "I was still relatively fearless," she says of her early days. "I didn't realize it was going to be as difficult as it was––which is probably a good thing. If I had known I probably never would have done it!"

Now that she's past the days of working until 3 a.m., Campbell is careful about balance, about taking care of her own health. She works out five days a week and is an avid bike-rider, relishing the solitude after spending all day constantly connected via phone, fax and email. Until recently, she enjoyed tooling around town, to meetings and press conferences, on a little, red Vespa (it was stolen, but she plans to get a new one). "You have to figure out what's going to give you a certain amount of joy on a day-to-day basis," she explains. "I found out that riding around town on a Vespa, being able to scoot in and out, was one of those small ways."

She also loves travel––recent excursions have included Mexico, Italy and Savannah, Georgia––and spending time with family. Campbell, who was born and raised in Washington, DC, has one brother and frequently makes time to attend her nephews' sporting events.

Perhaps the most important thing Campbell does for her health and well being is her complete retreat from work every summer. "I take the entire month of August off every year. You have to recharge your batteries," she says adamantly. "Because I'm running a small shop and always dealing with budgets and clients, a week doesn't get it. Two weeks doesn't get it. You need a full four weeks to decompress, relax, come back and be in a different frame of mind. I totally burned out in the beginning, and I said no more… PR is not my life, it enables me to live my life."

Message Wendy Campbell and tell her what you think


AAPRC's Mission
The African-American Public Relations Collective (AAPRC) is an assemblage of professionals who provide communication conduits among clients, journalists, media and our communities. We come together as a collective because we recognize the importance of building those same conduits amongst ourselves.

A great deal of what we do is professional development––updating our skills, keeping pace with technology, refining and streamlining processes, providing a forum to tackle the issues that impact our work environment––but we believe our professional lives benefit most from the forging of effective alliances. Connected to one another, we possess the power of a nationwide body of committed, knowledgeable practitioners with an eye on the future.

As we move into the 21st century at lightning speed, mass media and its potent messages occupy an ever-larger part of our daily lives and our collective psyche. The AAPRC is focused on helping our members gain a deeper understanding of media's force and supporting their growth as powerful participants in the global communications network.

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