Nudging parents to vaccinate their children
A look at current digital strategies
Jared M. Shinabery
MPH Candidate
Tufts University School of Medicine
Nudging parents to vaccinate their children
• Three campaigns:
▫ Voices for Vaccines
▫ Sounds of Pertussis
▫ Immunize for Good
• One common goal:
▫ To educate parents on the safety and importance of
vaccinating their children, and to urge them to make the
right choice.
Voices for Vaccines
• Mission:
▫ “Voices for Vaccines is a parent-led organization that supports and
advocates for on-time vaccination and the reduction of vaccinepreventable disease.”
▫ They seek to provide families with three tools:
 “Evidence-based information about the safety and importance of immunization”
 “A vibrant community of parents who are passionate about preventing disease,
disability, and death by supporting and encouraging sound vaccine policies and
practices at both the state and national levels”
 “An opportunity to join the discussion and to actively advocate for on-time
immunization”
• Target Audience:
▫ Primary: Parents who are hesitant to vaccinate their children
▫ Secondary: Parents who already recognize the importance of immunization,
and policy makers.
www.voicesforvaccines.org
www.voicesforvaccines.org
Voices for Vaccines’ digital strategy
• Vaccine information page
with easy-to-digest
explanations
▫ Organized by disease or
age
• Stories from parents who
vaccinate
▫ Organized by categories
• Parents can easily join
the cause; submit their
own stories
• Social media:
▫ Twitter
▫ Facebook
▫ Pinterest
Voices for Vaccines
Clean design

Easy to navigate

Digestible information

Can share your story

Very active social media

Integration of Facebook
and Twitter on their
website

Blog

Mixed targeting

Vast amounts of
misinformation on the
web

Emotionally charged issue

Anti-vaxxers can overrun
social media
WEAKNESSES

THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
STRENGTHS
SWOT Analysis
Voices for Vaccines
Recommendations
• Integrate Facebook and Twitter feeds on the website
▫ This will help draw people to the social media sites and could
subsequently increase participation.
• Start a blog
▫ The blog could be a place for more in-depth discussions of vaccination
issues, which inappropriate on Facebook and Twitter.
• Incorporate site badges
▫ Site badges are essentially small advertisement banners that others can
put on their websites to link back to yours. They could increase Voices
for Vaccinations’ online presence.
Sounds of Pertussis
• A collaborative effort by Sanofi Pasteur and March of Dimes
• Mission:
▫ “dedicated to educating new parents and their families about pertussis
and the importance of an adult booster vaccine.”
▫ “to help protect babies by making sure that anyone who is, or will be,
in close contact with a young infant has been vaccinated against
pertussis.”
• Target Audience:
▫ New and expectant parents who are vaccine-hesitant
www.soundsofpertussis.com
www.soundsofpertussis.com
Sounds of Pertussis’ digital strategy
• Heavy use of scientific
facts with citations
• Videos of parents telling
their vaccination /
pertussis stories
▫ They reinforce the facts
being presented.
• Search vaccination clinics
by zipcode
• Social media:
▫ Facebook
 68,445 likes
 “Breathing Room” app
Sounds of Pertussis’ Facebook Application
Sounds of Pertussis
Embedded videos

Lots of images

Citations

Easy search for clinics

Active social media

Integration of Facebook
on their website

Twitter

YouTube channel
WEAKNESSES

THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
STRENGTHS
SWOT Analysis

Lots of movement

Slow website

Cluttered design

Small text

Unconventional navigation

Vast amounts of
misinformation on the
web

Emotionally charged issue

Anti-vaxxers can overrun
social media
Sounds of Pertussis
Recommendations
•
•
•
•
•
•
Integrate a Facebook feed on the website
Utilize Twitter
Create a YouTube Channel
Make the videos shareable
Give the website a cleaner design
Present the facts in a more digestible and well-organized format
▫ Vertical presentation is better than horizontal
• Increase the font size
• Create an “About us” page
Immunize for Good
• Collaboration of the Colorado Children’s Immunization Coalition, Colorado
Department of Public Health and Environment, and Vaccine Advisory
Committee of Colorado.
• Mission:
▫ “to further childhood immunization coverage in Colorado through
education, vaccine provider resources and parental support.”
• Target Audience:
▫ Colorado parents who are hesitant to vaccinate their children
www.immunizeforgood.com
www.immunizeforgood.com
Immunize for Good
Digital Strategy
• Education based website
with helpful graphics
▫ Why vaccinate page explains
herd immunity and
establishes credibility
▫ Parents talk page has video
and written testimonials
▫ Fact or Fiction page dispels
myths
▫ The vaccines page has
infographic style
representations of vaccines,
along with video animations
• Interactive schedule with
reminders and progress
reports
• Twitter: 2,658 followers
• Facebook: 852 likes
Immunize for Good
Digital Strategy
• Education based website
with helpful graphics
▫ Why vaccinate page explains
herd immunity and
establishes credibility
▫ Parents talk page has video
and written testimonials
▫ Fact or Fiction page dispels
myths
▫ The vaccines page has
infographic style
representations of vaccines,
along with video animations
• Interactive schedule with
reminders and progress
reports
• Twitter: 2,658 followers
• Facebook: 852 likes
Immunize for Good





Beautiful website
Well organized
Interactive elements
Helpful graphics and
animations
Active social media
Bilingual

Facebook and Twitter
account names differ from
the campaign name

Somewhat childish
graphics

Integration of Facebook
and Twitter on their
website

Vast amounts of
misinformation on the
web

Post unique content on FB
and Twitter

Emotionally charged issue

Anti-vaxxers can overrun
social media
THREATS
OPPORTUNITIES
STRENGTHS

WEAKNESSES
SWOT Analysis
Immunize for Good
Recommendations
• Integrate a Facebook/Twitter feed on the website
• Post more unique content on social media
• Try to get more parent involvement on social media
▫ Ask questions, contests, prizes, etc.
• Incorporate site badges
Comparison
Feature
Voices for
Vaccines
Sounds of
Pertussis
Interactive content
Written testimonials
X
X
Video testimonials
Establishes credibility
X
X
X
X
X
X
Bilingual
Active Facebook
X
X
Facebook application(s)
X
X
X
Active Twitter
X
Active Pinterest
X
Unique content on social
media
X
Clinic search
Parents can submit stories
Immunize
for Good
X
X
X
X
X
X
X