Overview
In the face of the COVID-19 crisis, Georgia’s Gwinnett County Government found itself in an unfamiliar position: public health advisor and community health protector. Local officials knew it was important for the unified Gwinnett County Government to take the lead in sending a cohesive message about the importance of taking COVID precautions to lower the transmission rate in the community.
When federal funding became available for this exact purpose in the summer of 2020, county leaders tapped Jackson Spalding's healthcare team to develop and execute a fully integrated public health campaign to effectively reach the nearly 1 million residents of Gwinnett County and inspire every individual to follow simple prevention-related steps, known as the 3 W’s - wear a mask, watch your distance and wash your hands.
Services Provided
- Marketing Strategy
- Creative Concepting
- Video Production & Photoshoot
- Paid Media Planning & Advertising
- Digital Strategy & Activation
- Earned Media
Creative Concepting
JS’s team of creative ideators developed the #ListenToGwinnettMoms concept – a highly visual approach with unlikely spokespeople that incorporated unexpected but appropriate humor and sarcasm.
The idea for #ListenToGwinnettMoms came from the insight that so much of what the public was being told to do during COVID-19, like keeping their distance and washing their hands, is the exact kind of advice most of us grew up hearing from our moms, grandmothers and mother figures. Accordingly, the campaign featured real Gwinnett moms, ranging in age, race and ethnicity and representative of the community, to highlight the simple but proven ways residents could help keep each other safe through “momisms” with which we are all familiar.
Capturing Maternal Wisdom
Our production team rose to the challenge of crafting a campaign that was authentic and true to the residents of Gwinnett Community – one of the top 5 most diverse counties in the U.S., according to Niche’s 2021 Most Diverse Counties in America. This meant securing a location in Gwinnett County that could give the impression of multiple homes and casting real moms who live in Gwinnett and reflect varying age groups, as well as the county’s diverse population. Combined with COVID-19 safety restrictions limiting the number of team members who could attend in person, this shoot proved to be one tall order.
Through clever scriptwriting, strong relationships with local talent agencies and quick thinking to secure an Airbnb location, the team was able to successfully execute the full-day shoot, capturing prime photography and footage of five authentic Gwinnett moms to fuel the campaign.
Spreading the Message
With content in-hand, our team activated a multi-channel campaign to maximize the reach and impact of the sound advice from our Gwinnett Moms. Video content was leveraged in organic social posts on Gwinnett’s channels, as well as in geotargeted ads designed to reach Gwinnett ZIP codes exclusively and repeatedly. Additionally, our comprehensive advertising strategy included outdoor signage and streaming radio placements based on changing media consumption trends during the pandemic.
We secured media coverage through targeted pitching to local media ranging from print to broadcast – securing coverage from mainstream and local Korean, Vietnamese and Indian-American outlets to ensure we reached Gwinnett’s diverse residents, as well as a features in Georgia’s most wide-reaching newspaper. To round out our approach, we developed custom campaign emails and created shareable content for partner organizations, like local businesses and fire and police departments.
The Results
We asked people to #ListentoGwinnettMoms – and we’re happy to report their wisdom was well-received. The three-month campaign reached a wide number of Gwinnett County residents through our varied tactics, gaining traction through media coverage, advertising, social media and email efforts.
During the uphill battle against COVID in late 2020, predictive models from Emory University and statements from Georgia healthcare leaders like John Haupert, CEO of Grady Health System, indicated that the increase in cases and hospitalizations was happening at a slower pace in Georgia than other parts of the country. Additionally, our efforts were recognized with a 2021 SABRE Award .
16 m
earned media impressions
115 m
paid media impressions
373 k
video views
The Team
Here's the JS team that convinced Gwinnett County to listen to their mothers with this public health campaign:
