Public Health Campaign Connects Community During a Crisis
Client:
Shelby County Health Department
The Shelby County Health Department and Office of Mayor Lee Harris are responsible for serving and protecting one of the largest counties in the South, consisting of nearly one million residents.
T H E C H A L L E N G E
Across the country, local governments were not in sync in their directives and polarizing opinions emerged regarding the public’s civic duties and best practices to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The Shelby County government saw an opportunity to combat this through its marketing and communication strategy.
T H E D R E A M
The Shelby County government wanted to create consistent, thorough messaging to democratize data and break through the “pandemic fatigue” anticipated in the late months of the year.
T H E S T R A T E G Y
Awareness Platforms
RedRover launched an aggressive, multi-faceted outreach campaign to encourage as many Shelby County residents and organizations as possible to do their part to slow the spread of COVID-19. To make information about the virus more easily accessible, RedRover completely rebranded Shelby County Health Department’s communication. In addition to creating a new site for COVID-19 resources at shelby.community, RedRover reorganized the Shelby County COVID-19 Resource Center to improve its user experience.
Credibility With Community
RedRover was tasked with positioning the county’s COVID-19 data in the different ways people needed it. Our pack built credibility with the community through influencer campaigns, social media engagement, digital storytelling and handheld resources to distribute at trusted organizations like churches. RedRover highlighted how the community could come together to combat COVID-19 using unifying language and humorous videos. One such video, “The Talk,” quickly received traction in the local community and received multiple awards, including Gold and Best of Show at the Memphis American Advertising Awards and Silver at The Telly Awards.
Targeted Outreach
RedRover concentrated a healthy portion of its message placement on vulnerable populations and high-risk zip codes. Residents experienced the campaign on billboards, in newspapers, television programs and local radio stations, and at convenience stores and gas pumps — all of which drove people to a landing page for engagement.
Battling Vaccine Misinformation
Knowing that skepticism about the COVID-19 vaccine was starting to build, RedRover worked to help the health department address misinformation head-on. RedRover helped establish the Shelby County Health Department as a clear, transparent voice over contradiction and myths.
T H E R E S U L T S
The campaign had some stunning numbers — including generating 114 million total impressions and reaching 96 percent of adults within Shelby County — but the results RedRover and Shelby County officials cared most about involved how the campaign reduced friction within the local community. RedRover’s support of Shelby County’s mission to democratize data had a direct impact on how quickly and clearly vulnerable populations were able to receive the information they needed. Together, RedRover and Shelby County leaders worked at a critical point in this public health crisis to distribute information in a clear, consistent manner, which had lasting effects long after the campaign had officially ended.
Moreover, surveys distributed at the beginning and end of the campaign showed that public sentiment was shifting. Residents who said they were highly likely to get vaccinated increased by 25 percent over just a 90-day period. The survey also saw a marked increase in awareness of public health officials, masking in public and the number of respondents who listed the Shelby County Health Department as their main source for information about the virus.
RedRover’s pack was honored to collaborate on such a meaningful campaign and to play a small role in the life-saving work of the Shelby County Health Department and Office of Mayor Lee Harris.
