HOW PSI AND META PARTNERED TO INSPIRE 160 MILLION CONSUMERS TO CHOOSE COVID PREVENTIVE BEHAVIORS ACROSS 26 COUNTRIES.
As COVID-19 spread globally, so did misinformation about countering the pandemic.
In response, Population Services International partnered with Meta to inspire 160 million people to choose COVID preventative behaviors and promote COVID-19 vaccine uptake.
We began by researching people’s attitudes toward mask-wearing and vaccine uptake.
We found in countries like Kenya, Mozambique, and South Africa that three in five adults felt comfortable getting the vaccine, with the remainder expressing concern about side effects or the vaccine’s effectiveness.
Using these insights, we tapped into the reach and capabilities of Meta’s platforms including Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp to roll out digital media campaigns for health across 26 countries.
We started on the regional level, using trusted channels to reach people and partnered with governments to adapt their national COVID campaigns.
In Latin America, we launched our campaign across dedicated Meta platform communities, built over the past decade offering sexual and reproductive health information. We leveraged these trusted channels, layering COVID-19 prevention into existing content.
Our experience in Latin America taught us that to truly engage people, we needed to tailor messaging to our audiences’ priorities.
That was our approach in Kenya. There, vaccine hesitancy was higher among females than males due to concerns around side effects and safety.
We worked with Kenya’s Ministry of Health, adapting their existing COVID-19 preventive campaign messaging to resonate with women, then used respected community leaders to spread the message online.
We took a similar approach in Vietnam. In April 2021, COVID’s fourth wave led to an increase in cases nationwide. Research showed that Vietnamese youth were less likely to wear masks, so we helped the government adapt its campaign to reach the nation’s 2 million youth on Meta platforms.
We homed in on topics they care about like protecting their loved ones and their country, and invited celebrities to help spread the message.
Across each country, post-campaign research showed measurable change in self-reported mask wearing and vaccine uptake. PSI’s insight driven approach to digital media campaigns for health coupled with the reach of Meta’s platforms – strives to deliver health impact and most importantly, saves lives.
But the work doesn’t end here. We can continue to affect meaningful change, together. Email [email protected] to learn how.
