Bill Swanston

How Frederick Swanston helped inspire Memphis to get their COVID-19 vaccine when skepticism was on the rise.

The Assignment
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare asked FredSwan to develop a communications plan including messaging and tactics to reach both broad and targeted audiences – promoting the importance of receiving the COVID-19 vaccine in order to motivate and inspire people to come together to collectively fight the pandemic.

AKA: A PSA to get vaccinated.

The Challenge
The research showed hesitancy toward the vaccine, especially within diverse communities. Many were disproportionately affected by the pandemic, and this experience was reflected in hesitancy attitudes and behavior.

In addition, other healthcare providers and civic organizations were rolling out their own vaccination campaigns leading to an oversaturated marketplace teeming with “it’s your shot” ads.

And so, The Real Ask
Develop strong creative that stands out, educates and encourages Memphis-area African American, Hispanic and Caucasian consumers to get the COVID-19 vaccine.

PLAN OF ATTACK

Messaging Direction
As a part of its commitment to improving every life it touches, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare is dedicated to providing up-to-date information on the COVID-19 vaccine. During the pandemic, now more than ever, it was critically important to give the public the facts so they feel confident making the choice to protect themselves, family, friends and their communities.

AKA: “Protect myself and my people.”

Media Plan
Leverage local media channels and partners to create an omni-channel approach to raise awareness and increase education about the COVID-19 vaccine in order to reach Memphians where they live, work and (will soon) congregate together again.

AKA: Stay close to home.

The Creative
Armed with facts and backed by data, our creative team set out to create a campaign that answered questions, quelled concerns and demystified rumors. The key idea: By design, we are social beings and because of quarantine, we all have something or someone we miss.

THIS IS HOW WE LIVE

Simple, honest, empowering. Highlighting the life we’ve all been missing, this campaign tugs at the heartstrings of humanity while empowering the audience to take control of their lives. From the TV commercial to the billboards, we combined an honest and straightforward message with emotional visuals resulting in approachable yet uplifting ads. And we tied it all back to a landing page that shared everything consumers needed to know about the vaccine – how to get it, who’s eligible, where they could get it and a section that specifically answered every question and concern.

The Results
Days after the campaign launch, our client reached out to us: “We continue to hear great feedback on our Vaccine Campaign, and our executives have said that ours is by far the best in the market. Have you considered entering it in any award shows?”

Within the first month of the campaign, we generated over 10 million impressions and increased landing page traffic by 1200% – achieving the goal of increasing education and awareness of the importance of getting the vaccine.

Today, the number of fully vaccinated individuals continue to rise, and the CDC recently stated that those who are vaccinated no longer need to wear a mask. This result is a reward within itself, and we’re proud to be a part of it.

Let Frederick Swanston help create a strong healthcare campaign that will stand out in the marketplace with strategic, data-driven creative. Contact us here.