Grassroots Vaccine Effort in Milwaukee Features Community Members Telling Personal Stories of Resilience

Nearly everyday, it seems someone is putting out a new campaign message to encourage people to get vaccinated. Most of these are national in scope. But as well-intended and, hopefully, effective as these measures are, in the end, officials acknowledge that vaccine messages delivered by community members - neighbors, friends, small business owners - can work better than those campaigns featuring celebrities or even the president.

Which is where HealthyMKE comes in.

HealthyMKE is a broad coalition of local government, non-profit and community organisations committed to empowering residents of Milwaukee County who have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic to make an informed choice when it comes to getting vaccinated. These are people who are skeptical or undecided about receiving Covid-19 vaccinations. And so, this week, the organisation is launching a $900,000 multimedia and grassroots effort featuring authentic Milwaukee voices telling their stories of resilience and why they made the personal choice to overcome their hesitancy and get vaccinated.

In TV, radio, digital and outdoor ads, we hear school teachers, clergy, small business owners, veterans, healthcare workers and other community members talk about, in their own words, the reasons why they chose to get vaccinated so that they can get back to the people, places and things that they love. Called 'Authentic Voices', the data-driven campaign is targeting for 80% of residents to become fully vaccinated.  

The campaign was developed pro bono by Milwaukee-based independent creative digital agency Hanson Dodge as part of the agency’s deep-seated commitment to create health equity in communities of color who were hardest hit by the pandemic.  It also draws on the talents of several Black and women-owned production companies and other local partners.  Among them:  Amanda Evans Photography, Samer Ghani Photography, Tyshun Wardlaw Productions, INPOWER Creative and Jump at the Sun consultants.

Beyond the visible advertising push, organizers are also significantly increasing community mobilization efforts to reach people where they are.  More than 200 individuals will be trained to engage in door-to-door canvassing, with a particular emphasis on those ZIP codes identified as having the highest vulnerability in the Milwaukee area based on guidance from the CDC’s Social Vulnerability Index. 

As experts have said, the most effective vaccine campaigns are those which speak to people on a local level. “Getting vaccinated is a personal choice. People want to hear from their neighbors and people they trust,” said Mara Lord, chair of the Milwaukee area vaccine communications and community mobilisation efforts.

HealthyMKE is doing just that in Milwaukee and was created as a brand-neutral single place for validated medical information, voices of the community and trusted source for vaccine resources.