Summary
Medway currently has the highest adult overweight and obesity rates in the southeast. We worked with Medway Council to develop a high profile and high impact campaign aiming to improve healthy behaviours across a wide range of people and organisations.
Our Approach
The campaign was always going to be broad, as we wanted to target everyone who lives, works or studies in Medway. However, research still allowed us to develop audience segments and audiences with different behaviours to be targeted at different stages of the campaign. Three audience segments were refined: striving families, young hardship and successful suburbs.
Given the diversity of the audiences and behaviours being targeted, a need was identified to develop an overarching, adaptable campaign. Medway Can was developed with:
- Research that allowed us to identify disparities within social groups as well as barriers and motivators across the region and residents.
- Three campaign bursts focusing on different elements of a healthy lifestyle (physical activity & healthy eating) and approaches (community challenge, case study approach, incentivisation) to increasing motivation and opportunities for changed behaviour.
- An ‘always on’ strategy with a strong social media presence and constant communication with and by stakeholders.
- Development of a range of resources for stakeholders and Medway residents to use to promote efforts and stay motivated.
Execution
Phase 1: Move a Mile
Broad awareness initiative focused on introducing Medway Can and reminding people of why physical activity is important and the many forms it can take.
Focus on motivation at a time in the year (May-June) where people are actively considering moving more.
The initiative asking residents to choose how they move a mile, making the challenge: attainable, easy, attractive, social and timely.
Website presenting users with ideas and resources to help them find inspiration and information on how to get active, one mile at a time.
Website tool also allows people to log their activity in miles, it incentivises them with a prize draw and acknowledges their input by flashing their name on screen.
Move A Mile provides positive reinforcement through achievable goals and a sense of community by introducing the larger goal of collectively moving around the world.
Phase 2: Physical Activity
- A more targeted approach focusing on opportunity and capability.
- Targeted groups that need more specific consideration to be more active with a particular focus on residents with disabilities and mental health conditions.
- Engaged with education with the introduction of Medway Can Stars in local schools.
Phase 3: Eating Well
- Capitalised on increased motivation and physical activity levels to continue making a change to eating habits.
- A series of case studies were produced to highlight smart swaps people could make to their food, with recipe cards and signposting to healthy alternatives.
- Medway Can schools’ competition saw over 3,000 pupils get involved and move over 37,500 miles.
- Events at shopping centres, and with local businesses, continued to add miles to the campaign target, raising money for local charities and informing the public of healthy alternatives.
Results
- Over 80,000 miles moved.
- Over 40,000 engagements with the campaign.
- A legacy of motivation for the future.
The results are being independently evaluated by Kent University – aiming for 60% of residents to know about the campaign and 25% of all Medway residents to have taken part in at least one initiative. The evaluation will be guided by the RE-AIM framework to evaluate the reach, effectiveness and implementation of the ‘Medway Can’. Focusing on how both individuals and the ‘whole system’ are impacted. The evaluation will involve gathering data by speaking with people who live in Medway, organisations who provide physical activity and healthy eating programmes, key people in education and business to understand how they have engaged with the Medway Can campaign and what impact it has had on behaviours.
Want to read more?
The theoretical underpinning and research for the project was shared at the European Social Marketing Conference 2022 in Greece where it also won an award for the Best Research Abstract. The project was also published with Health Marketing Quarterly.
<poster>