227899 Going viral: Using social media to promote public health

Monday, November 8, 2010 : 2:30 PM - 2:45 PM

Katherine Gregory, PhD , Bureau of Communications, Health Media & Marketing Unit, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Sabira Taher, MPH , Health Media and Marketing, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Jeffrey Escoffier , Communications, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
John Laduca , Bureau of Communications, Online Editing Unit, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Amanda Wood , Bureau of Communications, Online Editing Unit, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Geoffrey Cowley , Communications, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, New York, NY
Background: The NYC Health Department relies increasingly on social-media and video-hosting websites to communicate with targeted audiences. We have recently used these media to promote condom use and smoking cessation, discourage consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, and encourage teens to seek help and support for behavioral issues.

Methods: We have used Web-based analytic tools to track public response to these campaigns. By tallying page views, monitoring online comments, and counting friends and fans, we have gauged overall impact and assessed audience reactions.

Results: Social-media campaigns garner more user interest if they actively promoted and continually updated, and they do not always grow in predictable ways. User-generated content drives the tone and direction of these campaigns, sometimes transforming them.

Discussion: Social media are by definition more interactive than traditional ones. They can also be less expensive, but there are no set protocols for social-media initiatives. How can social media best be employed to support public health? Should social media be reserved for certain issues or audiences? When are traditional media likely to work more effectively? What investment is required to create a successful social media campaign? How does the typical return on investment compare with that of traditional paid media?

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs

Learning Objectives:
1. Describe how marketing efforts (e.g., banner ads, earned media, widgets, podcasts, apps, rss feeds) extend the reach of social-media campaigns. 2. Discuss how increased interactivity lowers the cost of development and maintenance but also reduces the originating agency’s control.

Keywords: Social Marketing, Communication Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the Campaign Evaluation Specialist for the Health Media & Marketing unit at NYC DOHMH and I am responsible for the study design, collection, and analysis of data.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3343.0: Connecting online activities to offline behaviors