A public education radio advertisement produced by the WHA-led Stop the COVID Spread! coalition has been recognized by the American Association of Political Consultants (AAPC) with a bronze Pollie award in the category of Best Use of Radio in the Public Affairs/Issue Advocacy.
AAPC notes that this year more than 400 firms submitted a record-breaking 2,700+ entries across 10 mediums, including television, digital, direct mail/print, radio and phones, making the Stop the COVID Spread! award particularly noteworthy given the competition it was up against.
In the
30-second radio spot produced by WHA’s external marketing agency Platform Communications, Wisconsin health care workers appeal for safe practices to curtail virus spread in the state. “We’re on the frontlines. It’s our job to save lives and get people better. But fighting this pandemic puts our families at risk, too. We need your help. Mask up, wash your hands, and if you go out, stay at least six feet apart. Please, do this for your family, and ours.”
The real-life perspectives shared in the spot are those of Chelsea Rangel, R.N., and Hilary Faust, M.D., from UW-Health; Sumithra Tirunagaram, M.D., and respiratory therapist Karen Masanz, from Marshfield Clinic; Jessie Schaumberg, R.N., and Paul Casey, M.D., from Bellin Health.
The “frontlines” ad was the fifth produced by the coalition. It aired in late 2020 when Wisconsin was facing unrelenting COVID-19 case counts with hospitals throughout the state operating near or at full capacity.
WHA played a lead role in organizing and funding the Stop the COVID Spread! coalition, which was assembled in October 2020 and includes more than 135 of Wisconsin’s leading health care, business and advocacy organizations. The coalition’s multi-channel public education campaign includes seven public education announcements to date. The campaign has drawn upon wide-ranging Wisconsin perspectives, from higher education leaders to professional athletes, frontline health care workers and (bipartisan) elected officials. Ads produced and distributed by the coalition have achieved an audience reach of well over 30 million on statewide television and radio. On digital platforms, the coalition’s ads have generated over 16 million impressions and reached more than six million devices across the state.