Public Awareness Campaigns

Leveraging Social Media for Vaccine Uptake: Lessons from Bangladesh’s 2023 HPV Vaccine Introduction In an era where social media is reshaping how we communicate, its potential for public health campaigns remains underexplored. I’m fortunate to be involved in two social media campaigns to increase HPV vaccine uptake, one in Bangladesh and the other in Nigeria. Here, I report on findings from the Bangladesh government’s HPV vaccine introduction in Dhaka Division in October 2023. The social media campaign that I am evaluating started in September 2024 (delayed, due to a period of intense political change in Bangladesh). In November and December 2023, we conducted a national survey across Bangladesh. This survey provided behavioral insights for our 2024 social media campaign. We also used it as a post-test only assessment for the vaccine’s introduction in Dhaka Division. Our study was published yesterday and illustrates the transformative impact of multimedia campaigns leveraging digital platforms to increase HPV vaccine adoption among adolescent girls. The campaign’s results are a testament to the reach of social media: 52% of caregivers in Dhaka Division (a population of 44 million) were exposed to HPV vaccine messaging. 51% of these caregivers encountered it on social media—the primary channel. 20% learned about it through schools, 12% from television, and 8% at clinics. Perhaps the most striking finding was the dose-response relationship between exposure ot the campaign and vaccine uptake. Among caregivers exposed to campaign messages more than three times, 61% vaccinated their children, compared to only 14% among those unexposed. This emphasizes not just the importance of exposure but the necessity of repeated and varied engagement for behavioral change. Interestingly, the study revealed high motivation among caregivers to vaccinate their children, yet barriers related to ability persisted. While the campaign effectively communicated the importance of HPV vaccination, logistical challenges like access to healthcare facilities, appointment scheduling, and vaccine availability may have constrained uptake. This underscores the need for campaigns to dig deeper into ability factors, ensuring that motivated individuals can easily act on their intent, especially in the context of mass vaccination efforts. Additionally, these promising outcomes raise critical questions: Who wasn’t reached by the campaign, and why? Were there disparities in digital access, literacy, or trust in messaging sources? Understanding these gaps is crucial for equity in future vaccine campaigns. Bangladesh's HPV vaccine introduction underscores the need for data-driven, targeted campaigns that leave no one behind. Addressing both motivation and ability factors while leveraging the reach of social media is key to increase HPV vaccine uptake. #Vaccination #SocialMediaCampaigns #PublicHealth #VaccineUptake #HPV #DigitalEngagement #HealthEquity

Sometimes people don’t always need more information. Sometimes they need a different way to experience it.   Readers of South African newspapers were left puzzled this week when they spotted what looked like a red stain splashed across the front pages. What initially appeared to be a printing error was, in fact, a deliberate creative intervention designed to spark a conversation around period poverty.   The campaign draws attention to a harsh reality in South Africa, where millions of girls and women still lack access to basic menstrual hygiene products. According to the MENstruation Foundation, many schoolgirls are forced to rely on newspapers, rags or toilet paper during their periods because they cannot afford sanitary pads.   What I love about it isn’t the shock value. It’s that it turns understanding into an experience.   So often communication tries to explain. But some of the strongest work creates a moment where people immediately feel what something might be like. That shift is HUGE.   People rarely change behaviour because they receive more information. They change when something becomes relevant, emotional, understandable, or impossible to ignore.   If we think about brand and communication as a form of translation of a big idea, this campaign does that so beautifully. Helping people not just know something, but to truly help them understand it.   Who: MENstruation Foundation Joe Public

“I read it three times,” she told me softly, “but I still don’t understand what it says.” We were sitting on a bench outside the community clinic. She held the health education flyer we had distributed during our public health awareness campaign. “It’s in the city dialect,” she added. “Here, we speak differently.” I paused. I had spent weeks helping design that campaign. We printed hundreds of copies. Everyone received the same materials. It felt fair. It felt right. But something wasn’t working. I said gently, “We gave everyone the same message…” She looked at me kindly and said: “Yes. But we’re not all the same.” That one sentence taught me more about public health than any textbook ever had. 🟢 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 is what we started with—we gave everyone the same information. 🟢 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 showed up in language, education, lived experience, and learning style. 🟢 𝗘𝗾𝘂𝗶𝘁𝘆 meant we had to adapt—translate, simplify, and co-create messages that made sense locally. 🟢 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 was not dismissing her confusion, but treating it as valid and important feedback. 🟢 𝗕𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗴 meant making sure no one felt ashamed for not understanding—and that every voice shaped the solution. That conversation changed how I saw my role in public health. It’s not just about delivering a message. It’s about making sure people can hear it, feel it, and use it. #Publichealth isn’t just science. It’s humanity. It’s context. It’s care. Whether I am working on a vaccination campaign, an awareness initiative, or a health policy brief, I carry this lesson with me: 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗺𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗱𝗼𝗲𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗲, 𝗶𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗲𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗽𝘂𝗯𝗹𝗶𝗰 𝗵𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘁𝗵 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. When did you first understand the difference between giving people the same support and giving them what they 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱? I would love to hear your experience. Follow Dr. Sadia A. Sony, MSc, MPH, BDS. for insights on public health, careers, equity, and the human side of our work. #PublicHealth #HealthEquity #HealthCommunication #CommunityEngagement #InclusiveCommunication ✨ Image created by Jamie Shields (Disabled By Society). Thank you for your generosity, creativity, and for reminding us why credit, accessibility, and lived experience matter.

🔴 When Behaviour Change Beats Fines: Lessons from Mumbai’s “Punishing Signal” Mumbai’s Traffic Police + FCB Interface launched a brilliantly simple — but powerful — campaign to curb honking: The Punishing Signal. Rather than just penalize, they nudged behaviour. The result? A viral movement + real impact. What they did: Installed decibel meters at busy signals. When honking exceeded 85 dB, the traffic light timer reset, making the red light last longer. The campaign tagline was “Honk more, wait more.” Signals targeted included high-traffic junctions like CSMT, Marine Drive, Pedder Road, Hindmata, and Bandra. A humorous film (featuring a Mumbai-style traffic constable) was released. It showed drivers honking, waiting, and learning their mistake — the “stick” of longer waits instead of fines. Why it worked (and why it’s brilliant): 1. Behavioural nudge > punishment: Instead of slapping fines, this system penalizes the behaviour in real time. 2. Health-focused: Honking isn’t just annoying — it’s harmful. Noise pollution above 85 dB is linked to stress, hearing damage, and increased heart rate. 3. Scalable & visible: Because the signal resets in front of people, it’s a public nudge — everyone sees and learns. 4. Zero paid media, huge reach: The campaign went viral organically, amassing 6.6 billion impressions. 5. Award-winning creativity: It won a Gold Lion at Cannes Lions 2021 in the Health & Wellness — Non-Profit category (among other Lions). Key take-aways for safety / behaviour-change professionals: Sometimes, a negative feedback loop (in this case, waiting more) is more effective than a fine-based system. Real-time data + infrastructure (decibel meters) can make behaviour visible and measurable. Humour + local flavor make public safety campaigns more shareable and relatable. Award recognition (like Lions) helps — but real change came because people actually experienced the system. --- ❓ Questions for you / for discussion: How could this kind of behavioural nudge be adapted for other public-safety challenges (e.g., speeding, seatbelt use, erratic driving)? What are the trade-offs when choosing stick-based interventions over carrots (incentives)? Do you think such systems can scale to other Indian cities, or even globally? #RoadSafety #PublicHealth #NoisePollution #BehaviourDesign #TrafficManagement #Innovation #MumbaiPolice #CreativeCampaign #SafetyFirst #SmartCities

If You’re Waiting For The Stop Sign To Turn Green… It’s Probably Time To Rethink Your Choices. Brilliant. Not because it was serious. Not because it was threatening. But because it was unforgettable. A police campaign tackling impaired driving could have gone the predictable route: statistics, fear, consequences. Instead, they chose humor. A driver waiting for a stop sign to turn green. Existential pizza questions. Snack-based sobriety tests. Ridiculous? Yes. Effective? Also yes. Here’s the marketing lesson most brands miss: Awareness doesn’t come from volume. It comes from memorability. If they had simply said, “Don’t drive high,” it would have blended into the noise of every other public service message. But by turning it into a cultural joke, they made it a social conversation. And conversation changes behavior. Humor lowers defenses. Satire spreads faster than fear. Shared laughter creates recall. This wasn’t just an ad. It was behavioral design. Marketing, at its highest level, isn’t about impressions. It’s about impact. It’s about shifting choices in the real world. When creativity drives the message, the message drives action. And sometimes the most serious outcomes are achieved through the smartest laugh. #MarketingStrategy #BehaviorChange #BrandImpact #CreativeLeadership #Storytelling #PublicAwareness

I used to think awareness campaigns were a waste of money. Until one phone call changed my mind. Spoke with a CMO of a brand spending ₹2CR/month on ads. He casually mentioned how they ran a simple profile visit + awareness campaign—no big expectations or immediate sales spike. For the first few days, the numbers looked flat. But by the end of 2 weeks, something interesting happened: → Brand search volume went up by 25% → Meta Cost per 1000 account center reached dropped by 30% → New customer acquisition cost (nCAC) fell by 20% That was all the convincing I needed. We decided to test the same strategy with one of our apparel brands. Small budget. ₹2K/day. Just to see what happens. Here’s what we did: 📦 We built creatives around 3 key education gaps: People are unaware of the fabric quality People unfamiliar with the silhouettes People do not know the difference stitching makes Within 30 days: → nCAC dropped by 15% → Returning customer % fell by 15% (good sign—more new customers!) → Meta Cost per 1000 account center reached dropped from Rs 2453 → Rs 617 → Rs 393(this month) → Google brand search up 25% We didn’t change the product. We didn’t change the pricing. We just told our story better—and to the right people. Now this is part of our SOP. Awareness isn’t a top-of-funnel vanity move. If you build it around what people don’t know about your brand, it's a long-term play that fuels performance downstream. Cheers 🥂

Talk to a Stranger Week and the Urban Value of Everyday Contact In 2025, Talk to a Stranger Week ran as a public awareness campaign encouraging people to initiate small, everyday conversations with strangers in public settings. The initiative was developed by GenWell and framed social connection explicitly as a public health issue. The behavioural ask was intentionally modest. Say hello. Smile. Exchange a few words. No programmes, no formal participation, just everyday encounters. The campaign was supported by a dedicated website, https://lnkd.in/eYx5eaPJ, and a short video published on YouTube: https://lnkd.in/ePxHGTQm. Together, they explain why these interactions matter and show how they affect how people experience both their day and their city. The core claim presented is clear. People who speak with a stranger at least once a week report being three times happier than those who do not. According to the sources, such encounters strengthen trust, self confidence and a sense of community. At the same time, the campaign points to a structural condition of contemporary cities. In increasingly digital and phone centred environments, everyday social skills erode, even where physical density is high. For urban professionals, the relevance is practical rather than abstract. Casual interaction functions as a preventive layer against loneliness and mental health problems. Design, management and programming of public space can either enable or suppress these encounters. The campaign materials explicitly mention libraries as inclusive environments where newcomers or people without stable housing can find a sense of belonging. Safety and inclusion remain essential preconditions, particularly in large cities such as Toronto, and in contexts shaped by different cultural norms around approaching strangers. A useful concept here is public familiarity. In urban theory, this refers to how repeated, low intensity encounters allow people to recognise others without knowing them personally. Through everyday co presence, strangers become familiar figures. This does not require deep interaction, but it does reduce anonymity and perceived social distance. From a systems perspective, these are weak signals at individual level that accumulate into stronger social patterns over time. The video reinforces this message effectively. It is not only informative but also visibly uplifting. Street interviews in cities such as Toronto and Halifax show humour, warmth and surprise. This emotional tone matters because it lowers the perceived risk of participation and makes the behavioural ask feel attainable. For planners, policymakers and designers, the takeaway is straightforward. Social connection is not a soft add on. It is part of how urban systems perform at human scale, every day. #urbanism #publicspace #socialinfrastructure #publicfamiliarity #wellbeing #loneliness #systemsthinking #placemaking #citylife #socialconnection Pete Bombaci

Today, for the first time, I saw "my own" campaign live :) Not for a company, not for a product, but for the health of the Baltic Sea🌊 While at consulting, I helped clients launch many marketing campaigns. New products, new brands. National TV campaigns, billboards, digital This is - to my knowledge - the first mass campaign in Poland aimed at bringing eutrophication into the public conversation The goal is simple: explain that the algae blooms ("sinice" in Polish) people see every summer are not just a consequence of hot weather The root cause is nutrient pollution, mainly from: - agriculture (improper fertilizer and manure management) - wastewater (illegal discharges and leaking septic tanks) Why "public campaign"? Because a lot of pollution in Poland is caused by individuals: - 10m people (27% of population!) have septic tanks, ie are not connected to central sewage lines - 500ths farms with livestock, producing manure The timing of the launch of the campaign couldn't have been more relevant Just this weekend, beaches in Poland started closing on a mass scale, due to algae blooms. Social media immediately filled with comments about the heat as the reason for it Only very, very few people connected it to what's happening on land throughout the year And that's exactly why we launched this campaign: because the Baltic Sea starts on land A huge thank you to our partners who made this possible on a pro bono basis: Jet Line, Touchideas, and Weber Shandwick Polska English versions of the digital billboards attached. A microsite rftb.pl is serving as a landing page for explaining the mechanics around the algae bloom and eutrophication This is just the beginning #BalticSea #Eutrophication #Nature #Water #Sustainability #RaceForTheBaltic

#SriLanka has launched a National Campaign to end Sexual Harassment in Public Transport and Public Spaces; a long overdue intervention to keep women and girls safe as they commute to school, work, family, and community life. Why this campaign? The statistics speak for themselves: 🔹 90% of women and girls in Sri Lanka who have ever used public transportation have experienced sexual harassment on public transport 🔹 Only 4% report it 🔹 82% have witnessed others being harassed And yes, this is not the first attempt to end harassment in public transport , but we cannot and must not give up. This time, we are adopting a whole of society approach to design and implementation. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) is working alongside the Ministries of Transport; Women, Child Affairs and Social Empowerment; Public Security and the Sri Lanka Police, in collaboration with civil society and local communities, to co create and scale solutions. Key components of the campaign include: ➕ Training and capacity building ➕ Survivor centred referral systems ➕ Public awareness and education ➕ Perpetrator accountability and strengthened enforcement Already, over 600 drivers, conductors, and instructors have been trained in harassment prevention. Codes of conduct are being developed, and workplace sensitization is underway. This campaign is not just an intervention. It is a call for cultural change; a shift from silence to accountability, from fear to safety. Public transport must be a gateway to opportunity, not a source of trauma. We must act, not only to raise awareness, but to build systems that uphold dignity, equity, and safety for all. @UNFPASriLanka is proud to stand with the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs (under the leadership of Hon. Savithri Paulraj), the Ministry of Transport (under Hon. Bimal Rathnayaka), and with the generous support of the Government of Japan. 🔶 Let’s start the conversation: What else must change to make our public spaces truly safe? ##GenderEquality #PublicSafety #LeaveNoOneBehind

🇦🇪 The UAE is setting a benchmark for how health systems can respond to chronic neurological conditions — not just clinically, but socially and structurally. This World MS Day, the National Multiple Sclerosis Society (NMSS) has launched its fourth consecutive nationwide awareness campaign under the theme 'My MS Diagnosis: Navigating MS Together' — and the scope is worth noting. 🏥 Rolled out across 30+ healthcare facilities ☕ Community activations in 30+ café locations 🏢 An HR Guide endorsed for workplace inclusion, helping employers support employees living with MS and other People of Determination 🎓 A webinar bringing together experts in nutrition, mental health and MS research 🌐 Landmark illuminations raising public visibility nationwide What makes this campaign notable from a policy perspective: ➡️ It moves beyond clinical awareness into the systems that shape daily life — workplaces, caregiving, social support ➡️ It addresses the post-diagnosis gap, a critical and often underserved moment in the chronic disease journey ➡️ Its resources are designed to be transferable — applicable to anyone navigating a chronic condition, not just MS For those working in health policy, disability inclusion, or workforce wellbeing — this is a strong example of what multi-sector, community-embedded health advocacy looks like in practice. 🔗 https://lnkd.in/dh7zQfJz #MultipleSclerosis #WorldMSDay #HealthPolicy #UAE #InclusiveWorkplace #PeopleOfDetermination #PatientCentredCare #PublicHealth