Highly commended
Stay On Track
by Golin & Virgo Health on behalf of Moderna
Summary of work
People living with morbid obesity (BMI over 40) represent a significant proportion of those eligible for the NHS winter vaccines (COVID-19 and flu) but have the lowest uptake, despite being at higher risk of complications. Yet existing campaigns failed to acknowledge and engage this audience and stigmatised obesity narratives prevail.
Recognising social media as both a vector for misinformation and an important platform to reach the public with health information, we adopted a social-first approach that enabled us to engage our often overlooked, high-risk group.
We worked closely with Obesity UK to bring our vaccine eligibility message to life in a sensitive and relatable way, and selected two influencers, Danielle Vanier and Hollie Burgess, who created deeply personal and authentic content that went beyond traditional public health messaging. Each influencer shared content that demonstrated their winter self-care routines and preventative health measures in an engaging way. The campaign was supported by a media story that prompted further conversation about eligibility awareness.
The result was a sensitive, targeted campaign that increased winter vaccine awareness and directly shifted intentions among a high-risk population, all demonstrating the power of empathetic, community-centred public health communication.
Judges’ comments
The ‘Stay On Track’ entry stood out, with a great strategy and a positive approach. It was well written and well presented. The multichannel approach was sensitive, using clear language that was easy to understand. Vaccine hesitancy is so complex and the social influencers and channels were very well selected. The KPIs and rationale were clear, with an excellent strategy for implementing the objectives.
