A crazy hysteria has swept the nation as the media sensationalizes and builds fear about the flu H1NI, also commonly known as the Swine Flu. This flu has been discussed through every media outlet imaginable, and it’s safe to say that the world is concerned about this flu strain. While it’s tragic to hear about the recent deaths caused by this illness, I think there are some things we can learn from how public health officials handled this situation in the United States. I ran across this article in the Advertising Age titled, “10 Tips Marketers Can Learn from CDC’s Response to H1N1 Epidemic,” written by Pete Blackshaw.

Blackshaw explores the tips marketers can take away from this situation including: 1. Empower Those Who Want to Help Others, 2. Make Search Really, Really Simple and Accessible, 3. Syndicate the Message, 4. Communicate in Multiple Languages, 5. Push Mobile as a Service Extension, and Don’t Make it Complicated, 6. Be Simple and Selective on Twitter, Don’t Over Complicate, 7. Prime the Messaging, 8. Update the Scorecard 24/7, 9. Exploit Sight, Sound and Motion and 10. Proactively Ask for Feedback.

Blackshaw writes, Now we have a crisis that touches virtually everyone’s anxiety and fear and cuts across multiple brands and categories: the “swine flu” outbreak. At the center of this crisis is the U.S. government’s Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The communication work it is leading is neither sexy nor flashy, but it’s highly effective — and critically timely. Moreover, the approach is building credibility. The agency has added nearly 15,000 Twitter followers in the past two days, bringing the total to 40,000. Data from my employer, Nielsen Online, also suggest the CDC website is generating unprecedented links and references, including from Wikipedia, across all dimensions of this issue.