Many of us in the PR/communications industry believe we need a top celebrity or someone in the public eye to gain the most attention for our messages. We often overlook the power of an unknown spokesperson to break through the clutter.

During the launch of our Fight Arthritis Pain campaign last week, I was captivated by an unassuming ambassador—a soft-spoken woman from Wakefield, Rhode Island named Robin. 

Robin had some difficulty getting to the podium. She started her remarks by bravely describing how she was a born athlete, an avid runner since childhood. After sustaining a number of knee injuries in her teens, Robin was diagnosed at age 30 with osteoarthritis and poignantly talked about how that impacted every aspect of her life – from her job to her ability to perform day to day tasks that we often take for granted. Now in her 50s, Robin has become a walker and is limited to exercise in a warm water pool and bicycling. However, she works as an aquatic physical therapist and exercises five days a week, which helps increase her mobility and reduce the pain and disability of her arthritis.

Robin’s story was incredibly moving and inspiring. It was obvious that the audience instantly connected to her and it was the most compelling part of the program. Robin is not famous or well-known – she’s just someone who is living with a disease that affects one in five Americans. Yet, she was the ideal spokesperson for our campaign message, which communicates that “moving is the best medicine” for osteoarthritis.

For sure, celebrities can also be very effective spokespeople for social messages. A celebrity can significantly increase visibility for your cause and help boost fundraising efforts. Look at what Katie Couric did for colorectal cancer. The number of colonoscopies increased by 20% in the year after her an on-air screening. Katie lost her husband, Jay Monahan, to the disease and has been committed to the cause ever since. And Lance Armstrong, who survived testicular cancer, raised more than $325 million through his foundation, as well as extraordinary awareness for cancer prevention. In fact, some experts believe that people like Katie and Lance may have done more for public awareness for cancer than most scientists.

Fran Drescher serves as a spokesperson for the Ad Council's Patient Involvement campaign.

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