South Dakota Department of Health — Disease Prevention

The Goal

The South Dakota Department of Health Office of Disease Prevention was looking for two campaigns:

an informative PSA campaign to inform people of the dangers of West Nile Virus (WNV) and how to avoid it.
an actionable PSA campaign that warns of influenza and drives the audience to get their flu shot.

Having worked with them for a few years, each of these campaign topics has seen a few variations.

The influenza campaign has evolved from Flu Bug to You Do the Math to, most recently, Do You. Not the Flu.

The West Nile Virus campaign started as Ward Off West Nile and then became Join the S.W.A.T. Team.

The Story Behind “Join the S.W.A.T. Team”

To master the mosquito and fend off West Nile virus, join the S.W.A.T. team! Spray — Spray mosquito repellant on you and your family to keep the bugs at bay. Water — Even in a small amount of water, mosquitos hatch in just a few days. Remove standing water. Arms — When you are outside, cover any exposed skin with like your arms and legs with clothing. Time — Mosquitos thrive most around dawn and dusk. Either stay indoors or be extra cautious at those times.

The Solutions

In our refresh of each of these campaigns, we completed creative concept cycling to come out with fitting campaigns that accomplished the goals.

For West Nile, we brought a fresh look with a campaign that doubled as a fun way to educate people on how to avoid the disease. This campaign included paid social media ads, billboards and more to reach South Dakotans and keep them informed.

For influenza, we needed a unique refresh on previous campaigns. With Do You. Not the Flu, our video team put out television spots that highlight the logistical nightmare that is the flu parallel with activities that could be done if the audience was healthy. Billboards and digital ads completed this campaign and encouraged viewers to get the flu shot.