BETHESDA, Md. November 27, 2017
Abt Associates, in partnership with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), has won a MarCom Platinum Award for its Zika Prevention Communications Campaign in the category of traditional and social media.
After the 2016 Zika virus outbreak in Brazil and other countries, the public’s attention to the disease waned, and while the Zika virus still posed a threat to women who were pregnant or planning to become pregnant, complacency set in. In collaboration with the CDC, Abt led Zika-prevention communications campaigns in affected states and Puerto Rico in early 2017 to rapidly deploy and respond to the continuing crisis.
“Rapid response geo-targeting using digital and social media was a critical component,” said Selena Ramkeesoon, vice president and project director of the campaign, “because we needed to reach people where they were and help them understand the risk of Zika was far from over.”
Abt’s team of health communicators, graphic designers and public health professionals created and implemented the campaign through research, planning, development, testing and evaluation phases. The team worked with CDC to finalize nearly 370 creative pieces within two months.
The Zika prevention campaign used digital and social media, including animated display banner ads, Facebook and Instagram ads and Google AdWords to target specific audiences at risk. The digital and social components allowed for rapid dissemination of prevention messages and hyper-targeting to where audiences were seeking information, especially on mobile devices. Additional media channels provided broader audience reach, including in-flight magazines, newspapers and radio, as well as out-of-home posters and billboards.
“This award is a testament to our behavior change communications team,” said Christopher Spera, Ph.D., division vice president, “and most importantly, we know that we have helped CDC protect an incalculable number of unborn and yet-to-be conceived babies.”
The Association of Marketing and Communications Professionals administers and judges the annual MarCom Awards. More than 6,500 entries were submitted for the 2017 competition. Only 17 percent of entries won the Platinum Award, which is presented to entries judged to be among the most outstanding in the areas of quality, creativity and resourcefulness.
About Abt Associates
Abt Associates is an engine for social impact, harnessing the power of data and grounded insight to bring people from vulnerability to security worldwide. We provide research, consulting and technical services globally, working in the areas of health, environmental and social policy and international development. http://www.abtassociates.com
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