STRATEGY
The Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH) created a social marketing initiative called We Consider and Here For Us to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Black and African American communities.
CHALLENGE
In November of 2021, 42% of Washington’s Black and African American community were unvaccinated against COVID-19 (21% behind the overall vaccination rate in WA). Vaccine hesitancy was a significant problem in the Black/ African American community.
SOLUTION
In November 2021, WA DOH created two social marketing initiatives called We Consider and Here For Us to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Black and African American communities. The campaign’s goal was to encourage the Black and African American community members in WA to get the COVID-19 vaccine. The team conducted research from within the community, including using focus groups to gather feedback on vaccine hesitancy. The research revealed that the campaign should have three major goals. The campaign needed to get people who had already made their choice to re-evaluate and reconsider their vaccine decision. The campaign needed to amplify the stories of local individuals who had hesitated to get vaccinated and demonstrate why they ultimately chose to get the vaccine. Lastly, the campaign needed to encourage honest conversations, where people could learn from each other, in places where they live, work, and worship. The We Consider and Here for Us campaigns were created based on those insights. We Consider encourages those who are not vaccinated to re-evaluate and reconsider their decision to get the vaccine for the love of family, friends, and community. It features videos and written stories from local individuals who had been hesitant to get vaccinated and the reasons why they ultimately chose to do so. Here for Us shares stories from the community’s younger adults on why they got the vaccine.
The We Consider and Here for Us campaigns involved more than 100 hours of WA DOH staff time. A CDC COVID-19 immunization grant financed the campaigns, and the budget for the project was $600,000. The campaigns were created in coordination with The Anchor Group and C+C, a team of Black health educators, creatives, researchers, and community engagement specialists. In addition, WA DOH collaborated with Converge Media, a Black-owned and -led studio, to produce content through media interviews and dialogue with the community. The campaigns were created with feedback from Black micro-influencers, religious leaders, and institutions.
OUTCOME
The campaigns helped increase vaccination among the adult Black/African American community by 15 percentage points. They delivered 15,000 social media engagements and 68 million completed video views. In July 2023, the Baptist Convention hosted another community event and invited the campaign team and key partners back to discuss successful vaccination rates. During this event, the team received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the Black community that the strategies used for this campaign helped rebuild trust and confidence in vaccinations and in government partnerships. This feedback affirmed that community-led strategies centered around community voices are effective and powerful ways to build trust.
Background
In November of 2021, 42% of Washington’s Black and African American community remained unvaccinated against COVID-19 (21% behind the overall vaccination rate in WA). The Washington State Department of Health (WA DOH) created a social marketing initiative called WeConsider and Here For Us to increase COVID-19 vaccination rates in the Black and African American communities.
Lessons Learned and Key Factors for Success
The campaigns helped increase vaccination among the adult Black/African American community by 15 percentage points. They delivered 15,000 social media engagements and 68 million completed video views. In July 2023, the Baptist Convention hosted another community event and invited the campaign team and key partners back to talk about successful vaccination rates. During this event, the team received overwhelmingly positive feedback from the Black community that the strategy used for this campaign is helping rebuild trust and confidence in vaccinations and in government partnerships. This feedback affirms that community-led strategies that center community voices are effective and powerful ways to build trust.
Supplemental Materials