IPHCA
Illinois Primary Health Care Association helps community health centers (CHC) adapt, allowing them to deliver the cutting-edge, compassionate care their communities need to thrive.
There’s not a person on Earth who wasn’t affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and it took everyone doing their part by getting vaccinated to get the world moving again. But a lot of people in the rural areas of Illinois were more resistant to the science that created the vaccine. They needed to be convinced, not told, why the vaccine was not only safe, but also the right choice. That’s where we came in.
Strategy
We knew that having a conversation rather than a debate was the best way to convince those who were so adamantly opposed to the vaccine. But first we needed to understand where they were coming from. And that’s when we realized our rural neighbors didn’t distrust ALL science, just THIS science. If we could somehow show that the agricultural innovations they rely on and trust every day aren’t so different from the science used to create the COVID vaccine, maybe just maybe we could convince them to get vaccinated. That’s when we asked the 60% of rural Illinoisans who are unvaccinated, "You trust the science that keeps our farms growing the food on our tables. Why should that stop at your health?"
60%
still not vaccinated
At the time of our campaign, 60% of rural Illinoisans (our target audience) remained unvaccinated.
Experiential Activation
To overcome this COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy, we brought our message to one place where our target audience would feel at home and comfortable enough to listen, the Illinois State Fair. That meant creating an interactive exhibit where the 500k rural Illinoisans that visit the fair every year could read through special posters that presented the history of different agricultural innovations before finishing with the story of the COVID-19 vaccine. By the end of the event, 5,000 Illinoisans took home tote bags filled with informative pamphlets, and COVID tests from the Illinois State Fair. They emphasized scientists’ roles in revolutionizing farming to build trust in the COVID vaccine.
5,000
vaccination materials distributed
Thousands of fairgoers visited our exhibit and took vital resources home with them.
Integrated Campaign
Unlike the State Fair, COVID-19 wasn’t over after a week, so we needed to continue to push our message to the public. To drive Illinoisans to a special landing page, we created special billboards around the state. The language used was intentionally vague and written like the setup to a joke to entice viewers to engage with the campaign. To accompany the billboards in driving our audience to the landing page, we also recorded a special targeted radio advertisement to be played on the iHeartRadio network in the areas deemed the most at risk for low vaccine adoption. These ads reached over 3 million listeners while generating 2,215 clicks (and counting).
6,938
landing page visits
TellMeTheRest.com engaged and educated our audience thanks to our strategic marketing efforts.
3 MM
listeners reached
Across iHeartRadio’s network of stations, we delivered our pro-science message to those who needed it most.
TellMetheRest.com continued the comparison between science in farming and public health, housed educational COVID vaccine videos, and directed users to IPHCA’s online vaccine finder. Fun animations and easily accessible language helped pull viewers through, reaching nearly 7000 people.
Campaign Learnings
While COVID-19 is here to stay, the severity of the sickness and the number of cases has dropped substantially across Illinois, partially due to the adoption and effectiveness of the vaccine. Projects like this not only let us use our creative skills but also allowed us to make a real difference in the communities we call home. And while helping others was the ultimate reward, “A Harvest of Innovations” received several accolades, including awards from the GDUSA Health+Wellness Design Awards™ and the Best of NAMA awards.
72%
of Illinoisans are fully vaccinated
The truth behind the science is prevailing and Illinois is doing its part to reduce cases.
"We knew IMM would be able to handle the job, but what they delivered truly blew us away. We couldn’t be more pleased with the way they brought attention to an important cause that ultimately helped save lives."
Beth Fox | Director of Communications, IPHCA
