Excellence in Engagement through Multiple Channels (Digital and Traditional)

Summary of work

• 2018 was a significant year for HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccination in the UK, marking ten years of the adolescent girls’ vaccination programme. The Government announced the programme would be extended to include adolescent boys
• The extended HPV programme was introduced in September 2019 and boys aged 12-13 would now be vaccinated in schools alongside girls
• Market research showed significant education was required, helping parents of boys understand the value of the ‘cervical cancer’ vaccine for their son. We heard confusion and uncertainty about why boys would be eligible.
• Aligning with PHE we planned a multichannel campaign specifically designed to address the myths and drive action.
• We researched the parental personas. The general campaign was tested with our target audience, launched out of home with segment-specific content deployed on social media.The Campaign centred around HPVwise.co.uk. MSD was the first pharma company to use digital ribbons on the London Underground (a region with poor NIP uptake). Other tactics included: digital & physical posters in schools & on the underground, national bus ends wrapped (on routes with poor NIP uptake) and radio adverts & facebook ad series to ensure that parents understood eligibility and were able to give informed consent for vaccination.

Judges' comments

The #HPVwise campaign was an impressive project based on several research studies. It was well supported by Public Health England and other key stakeholders, as well as being aligned to national objectives.