Finalist
High 5 for World Arthritis Day
Summary of work
Rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases (RMDs), such as arthritis, are often thought of as ‘something to just get on with’ or ‘an older person’s problem’. The reality is that RMDs affect more people in the industrialised world than any other disease group and are the leading cause of sick leave and premature retirement worldwide. They also affect people of all ages. While awareness of RMDs and their broad impact is far too low, even more troubling are deeply held biases about the condition that alienate huge numbers of sufferers. Our response was to launch a personalised, content-driven campaign which would engage the world, and for the first time appeal to an audience outside the RMD community.
World Arthritis Day 2015 transformed an act of physical support - the High Five - into a global unifier via shareable online content. Engaging patients, carers, healthcare professionals, policy-makers and the general public with relevant messages, relevant content and through relevant channels, #WADHigh5 proved to be the European League Against Rheumatism’s (EULAR) ‘most successful campaign of the past decade’.
Judges’ comments
This entry’s engagement with a diverse audience was impressive, particularly the use of social media to target the younger demographic. The entry featured good, proactive management and content development creating a likeable campaign that emotionally resonates.
