Background

With a mission of protecting, maintaining, and improving the health of all Minnesotans, and the vision of all communities thriving and having what is needed to be healthy, the Minnesota Department of Health engaged our teams to raise awareness about the COVID-19 and Flu Vaccines.​

 

Challenge

After two plus years of “covid-fatigue”, our goal was to raise awareness and prompt action among Minnesotans to receive their COVID-19 and flu vaccines. To do this, we needed to establish widespread connections across the state. But time was not on our side. Given the short timeframe of the ‘peak’ cold and flu season, we needed to do it efficiently and effectively.

 

Solution

We made our diagnosis and recognized several insights, including understanding the mindset of our audience.

• We worked to understand the mindset of our audience. Rather than trying to persuade those who were against the vaccine, we identified a sizable group who were pro-vaccine but undecided/under-motivated. 
• We discovered the things holding this group were relatively minor. They needed either a basic question answered or simply a reminder.
• Special consideration was given to older adults, parents of younger children, and historically underserved communities where disparities often exist in vaccination rates. 
• We targeted the state broadly with high-reach placements in TV and Radio, and digitally with Connected TV, online video, streaming radio, and social media. We also utilized culture-specific radio, digital, and pedestrian-level out-of-home placement targeting those audiences.
• Strong, upbeat, and decidedly positive messaging with vibrant visuals reassured answers to common questions and ensured maximum impact. 

Results

This limited-timeframe campaign delivered long-standing results and earned a Bronze Award at the Northern Lights Awards Ceremony, an organization that recognizes outstanding work in Minnesota government, educational, and nonprofit communications. In addition, the campaign was a finalist in the 2025 Drum Awards Marketing Americas.

• Not only did a greater percentage of Minnesotans get vaccinated than the national average, that percentage grew to 68% above the national average, setting the Yes! Campaign as one of the most effective COVID-19 and public health campaigns of the year.
• We also achieved our goal of increasing adult lapsed vaccine users by 40%, exceeding our goal by 100%.
• A whopping 73% of viewers watched the full video, beating our goal by 83%.

 

Services Included

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