California Health Equity & Vaccination Campaign

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The COVID-19 pandemic shook the world to its core, and California was no exception. Despite all the news, talking heads, and widespread information about the importance of getting vaccinated, members of underserved California counties refused to get vaccinated (vaccine deserts), which was holding the state back from fighting off COVID and recovering from the pandemic. To engage these “hardest to reach” communities, the State of California reached-out to my team at ADVOC8 and formed a partnerhsip. 

It was crucial for us to determine why traditional media — television, radio and digital — had failed to motivate large-scale behavioral change in these communities. We determined there was a lack of trust in "the system." With poor access to healthcare and information, and being failed by the very institutions that are supposed to protect and care for them in the past, they instead looked to members of their own community for guidance on healthcare. Our first step was to form strong partnerships with community-based organizations and local health jurisdictions. Next, we used human-centered design to develop a communications campaign supported by a “field” team of trusted messengers. We showed up for them. We gave them face-to-face conversations, we spoke their language, we gave back to every community we visited.

Two years on, we continue to adapt the campaign based on real-time, quantitative data and anecdotal feedback from community members. Our most recent program, Doctor in the House (Doctor Disponible), brings a wide range of health services to communities throughout the state. The new program is based on behavioral economics and takes a “multi-disease approach.” There’s also a focus on convenience and the voice of trusted community members to promote temporary health clinics in multi-unit, residential complexes across the state, many of which are in vaccine deserts.

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Client: California Department of Public Health

Year: 2022

Location: California, Various Locations

Studio: ADVOC8

Design Team:
Armani Barron (Activation Senior Art Director)
Nick Stuhlfaut  (Art Director)
Abigail Chung (Graphic Designer)
Tori Green (Graphic Designer)