COVID-19 Campaign: Houston Health Dept

THE
CHALLENGE

In Texas, hospitalizations due to COVID-19, were increasing each week, and new deaths were once again on the rise. Pandemic whiplash had resulted in feelings of hope being replaced by growing frustration. Houstonians were continuing to idly process facts and opinions about the COVID-19 vaccine, as opposed to getting vaccinated.
Houston Health Department challenged Gravity to create a comprehensive campaign to further build confidence in COVID-19 vaccines and increase the vaccination rate of Houstonians with special emphasis on targeted hesitant populations.

OUR
APPROACH

Gravity developed a strategy that intended to pose the question of “what are you willing to miss?” to those who are still opting to wait to get the vaccine. By shifting the focus from hospitalizations and death to more “realistic” and familiar impact, Houston Health Department intends to stand out as the authentic and relatable voice among COVID-19 vaccinations among the hesitant populations.

“Misinformation and skepticism remain critical barriers to achieving higher COVID-19 vaccination rates in our Houston communities, especially among the younger generations of Houstonians.
The campaign takes a different approach, focusing on missed life events rather than life threating conditions, in order to appeal to those who are less likely to get seriously ill if they contract COVID-19.”

- Scott Packard, Houston Health Department.
Chief Communications & Public Affairs Officer.

CONSUMER X

The fresh approach depicts real scenarios in comedic sketches to combat the misinformation surrounding the COVID-19 vaccine and through strategic localized efforts, reaches the Bayou City’s diverse, young demographics through a multi-media campaign across broadcast, digital and social media. Each message was presented to our diverse audience in-language, including Spanish, Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese.

THE POWER OF DIFFERENCE

The new multilingual campaign will span six months of promotion to continue to target those who have not made the decision to get vaccinated. The three TV spots feature dramatizations based on actual events for the unvaccinated: from facing Abuela’s disappointment for missing her birthday to receiving a wedding invite that requires guests to be vaccinated. Viewers are urged to “avoid the drama and get vaccinated today” in response to the scenarios. As a Houston based agency, we were able to fill the actor roles with local Houston talent, furthering the objective of this community awareness initiative. The campaign is complete with complimentary creative across print, radio and social media channels.