View Point

Whenever I am out of the office on business travel I actively seek out the USA Today newspaper (well okay, sometimes hotels will drop the paper in front of your door and in these instances you really can’t avoid the newspaper). While perhaps not necessarily the most hard-hitting, in-depth newspaper out there,  USA Today neatly summarizes the day’s top events into an “easy-on-the-eye” format, and the newspaper also includes interesting feature articles. Like many, my eyes always are drawn to “USA Today Snapshots,” the splashy graphic and colorful chart located on the front page in the bottom, left-hand corner.

I couldn’t have been more excited to see that the July 1 “Snapshot” was “What bugs scare us,” which featured a computer-generated insect angrily looking over results from a recent BASF Pest Control Solutions survey that included a question about which bugs would strike “a great deal of fear if they appeared in your home?”

How great was it to see that even though major world events are unfolding on a daily basis, a major news outlet provided front-page coverage of pest-related news? It’s further proof that public awareness of pests (and the need for professional pest control services) is as strong as ever. A collective industry effort is to thank for this ongoing public awareness campaign. (In the case of the USA Today coverage, credit goes to BASF for conducting research and sending out a corresponding press release to various news outlets.)

Credit also must be given to NPMA and its affiliate group that works to raise public awareness, the Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA). For example, PPMA recently announced it has increased the number of low-cost TV commercials that PCOs can now customize and release within their market and/or promote on their Web site. PPMA also has made free customizable radio spots available for Guardians and Contributors, which also can be personalized to include the businesses’ name and contact information.  Additionally, PPMA is developing a special advertising kit that highlights the need for homeowners (especially in a down economy) to protect their greatest investment — their homes — from pest-related property damage and health threats. This is just a sampling of some of the great materials that PPMA Executive Director Missy Henriksen and her staff have created.

Another group that can’t be overlooked for its efforts in raising public awareness of the need for professional pest control services is pest control operators (PCOs). It’s impressive to see just how many PCOs have taken the NPMA message of “protectors of public health and property” and run with it. For example, Buffalo Exterminating has a TV commercial in which Donna Fernandez, president/CEO of the Buffalo Zoo, credits Buffalo Exterminating for keeping unwanted pests out of the zoo and providing a “safe, comfortable environment for the animals.” (View the commercial at www.pctonline.tv.) And it’s not just advertising campaigns — many PCOs are raising public awareness through their community outreach efforts. Not a week goes by when PCT doesn’t receive a press release about a pest control company that has donated its pest services to a worthy cause.

So, kudos to those industry groups and those pest management professionals whose efforts to raise public awareness benefits the industry as a whole.

The author is Internet editor of PCT Online and can be reached at bharbison@giemedia.com.