When our team spotted an emerging trend of patients bringing AI-generated alterations of their faces to surgical consultations, we saw an opportunity to put our client, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS), ahead of a major cultural conversation. We designed a targeted survey, mobilised expert commentary, and ran an agile media campaign that established BAAPS as the primary authority on patient safety in the AI era.
Strategy & Execution
- Quantifying the Trend: To turn media chatter into hard data, we surveyed BAAPS members to measure the real-world impact. We discovered that 15% of surgeons had already encountered patients bringing AI-enhanced photos to consultations.
- Capitalising on Inbound Interest: When ITV reached out asking about the trend, we immediately deployed our survey findings and arranged for BAAPS President Nora Nugent to interview with their film crew on safety concerns and unrealistic expectations.
- National Multi-Tier Pitching: Synchronised with the ITV broadcast, we launched a wide-reaching press release targeting medical trade media, national broadsheets, and high-circulation tabloids.
Results & Impact
- 34 Target Articles & Segments: Secured top-tier coverage across The BMJ, The Times, The Telegraph, Daily Mail, The Sun, and ITV News within a 48-hour window.
- 135 Million+ Media Impressions: Delivered widespread exposure, keeping BAAPS’s expert voice and patient safety message at the forefront of national news.
- Thought Leadership Secured: Positioned BAAPS as the go-to authority on the psychological and anatomical risks of algorithm-driven aesthetic trends.
Key Campaign Quote
“Patients can arrive with an image of themselves that has been altered by AI and, because it is still recognisably them, it can feel like a realistic representation… But one of the biggest challenges is that once a patient has seen an AI-generated image of themselves, that image can become their reference point. We can improve and enhance features, but we cannot rewrite anatomy.”
– Nora Nugent, President of BAAPS
The PR Takeaway Proactive data-gathering transforms subtle industry shifts into major news hooks. By quantifying consumer behaviour early, we turned a niche clinical trend into a national front-page campaign that drove massive reach and awareness for our client.
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