San Mateo County Health

INFECTIOUS DISEASES
PUBLIC HEALTH
BEHAVIOR CHANGE
GOVERNMENT
OUT-OF-HOME
DIGITAL/SOCIAL

At the height of COVID, the San Mateo County Health Department was inundated with resident complaints around the business closures and stay at home orders. Working with the county officials, congresspeople, and an equity team that represented the many communities that make up San Mateo’s multicultural population, I led our team to create two campaigns:

1. COVID Resiliency Campaign

2. COVID Vaccine Awareness & Education Campaign

The strategy: unite the county around a shared desire for a collective comeback. The Resiliency Campaign simplified complicated health orders and positioned the task as means to an end, instead of a “new normal.” Window clings in multiple languages adorned businesses and homes around San Mateo, out-of-home, print, television, and social media advertising amplified the message and the impact was palpable with messages of encouragement and hope across county social media accounts.

The Vaccine Awareness and Education campaign was aimed at creating a factual, yet accessible, case for getting the vaccine. Data showed that residents trusted their doctors and family members above anyone else, so we created a campaign that delivered the message through the lens of those trusted figures. By highlighting the “why’s,” we accomplished the “why not” and the campaign provided a boost in vaccination adoption in the county’s hard-to-reach communities.