May
20

What do Zombies Have to Do with Public Health Information?

Kathleen Siedlecki

I spend a good part of my work days thinking about creative ways to garner attention for important public health issues. However, yesterday I found myself at my desk wondering if I was prepared in the event of a zombie attack.

What do zombies and getting public health information out have in common you might ask? The answer is the buzz about a new Centers for Disease Control (CDC) campaign about the importance of personal preparedness plans in case of a public health emergency. The campaign grabs people’s attention with a clever hook about zombie attacks, but delivers important information for more likely emergencies.

First announced via a blog post by Assistant Surgeon General Ali Kahn Thursday, the CDC information was generating so much traffic that it crashed the site. From a posting in the Wall Street Journal Health Blog to my friends’ tweets, I’ve seen discussions that may begin with references to zombie movies and the undead’s penchant for brains, but ultimately lead to information about the importance of having a plan in case of a real emergency, such as a hurricane or earthquake. All while driving readers to the CDC’s emergency preparedness tools.

For those of us working with organizations who want to get a public health message out, we face a big challenge to gain attention in a saturated online and media environment.

The CDC announcement stands out for three reasons:

• They Took a Risk – According to the Wall Street Journal Health Blog, “Zombie preparedness is the brainchild, so to speak, of communications staff who noticed that traffic took off when zombies were mentioned during one of its Twitter sessions on Japan and radiation, says Dave Daigle, a CDC spokesperson who led the new campaign.” I’m guessing there was some internal back and forth about whether zombies were a serious enough communications platform as they say in our business, but it was a calculated risk that paid off.

• Content is Still King – No matter the communications format, useful information, presented in a memorable and engaging way, is important. Kahn’s posting was both entertaining (including a brief history of zombies and referencing his favorite zombie movie, Resident Evil) and conveyed important information, such as a bulleted list of items everyone should have in an emergency kit, such as water, medications and first aid supplies.

• They Made it Easy – and Fun – to Share – Within moments of reading the post, I was chuckling and posting it to my Facebook page. The information was easy to share via social networks with badges and buttons, but just as important it was a light-hearted way to get a message out.

In the end, the real test of course is whether this push will motivate people to go beyond awareness and generate real behavior change --getting people to make a plan. But if you can catch the public’s attention with a creative hook through a popular culture reference, that’s an important first step.

Note: The CDC is a Powell Tate client, although we did not work on this campaign.

Michael Stopford

Executive Vice President and Senior Global Corporate Strategist

Brian Wommack

Senior Vice President

Lance Morgan

Chief Communications Strategist