Department of Health
Antiviral
Department of Health • Department of Health • Department of Health
While the country, and indeed the world, was in the grasp of a global COVID-19 pandemic, we were tasked by the Department of An Taoiseach with developing an empathetic and pragmatic communications campaign to inspire and empower young adults to socialise safely within the public health guidelines.
Audience insight, agility and empathy were vital to successful communication at this time.
Phase 1
- Our main objectives at this time were to encourage 18 – 24-year-olds in Ireland:
- To keep the number of their close contacts down
- To socialise safely and help supress the virus.
- To enable a sense of ownership and autonomy at a time when many felt a sense of lack of control over their own lives
- To do the right thing regarding public health guidelines and support their peers in doing the same
Phase 2
- To empathetically and pragmatically encourage young adults to continue following public health guidelines to suppress the virus.
- To remind young adults why we are following public health guidelines – to beat COVID-19 and save lives.
- To communicate the effects the virus can have on individuals, to promote compliance
This campaign was rolled-out in two phases over a six-month period, with each phase requiring us to be agile and responsive in our approach to address the ever-changing restrictions, case spikes and public opinion.
Execution
Phase 1
During a time when young people in Ireland were unfairly criticized by older generations and social media, our research showed that the actions of a few did not represent the majority. We conducted focus groups and found that 18-24 year-olds felt excluded from the COVID-19 conversation despite its significant impact on their lives. In response, we launched the #Antiviral movement with 16 of Ireland’s top young content creators to encourage safe behaviour and motivate their peers. These creators interviewed Deputy Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Ronan Glynn, using questions and feedback from their followers. The conversation was shared through a dedicated #Antiviral landing page and social media platforms like Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and YouTube. The content creators also shared their personal stories and safety practices in their own content.
Phase 2
The second phase of #Antiviral began as Ireland’s COVID-19 situation shifted drastically. The country’s daily case rate skyrocketed from one of the lowest in the world to the highest within weeks. Our challenge was to convey the severity of the situation, encourage compliance with health measures, and empathise with young adults who were feeling discouraged. Despite daily case numbers dominating the media, we wanted to remind people that each number represented a human life impacted by the pandemic. To do this, we interviewed three young adults about their experiences with COVID-19 and created a mini-documentary for distribution on digital and audio platforms.
Carbery Cracker
Carbery Cracker
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Jameson
Jameson
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