The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHHS) is launching a new social media marketing campaign as part of a larger public outreach campaign designed to reach historically marginalized populations disproportionately affected by COVID-19.
The social media advertising, which will run on Facebook and Instagram and is made possible by ad credits provided by Facebook, is part of NCDHHS’ Prevent and Protect campaign that launched earlier this month. SocialCode, a digital marketing agency, developed the Facebook and Instagram ads and will manage the placement of the ads to ensure they are reaching their designated audience.
Data shows that Latinx/Hispanic and Black/African American communities are being disproportionately affected by COVID-19. Prevent and Protect focuses specifically on reaching those North Carolinians. In addition to the social media ads, Prevent and Protect includes resources for businesses, local health departments, community organizations and others to share, such as social media graphics, flyers, posters and video public service announcements.
The goal of the Prevent and Protect campaign is to inform people about testing, contact tracing and preventative measures—like wearing a face covering, waiting 6 feet apart and washing hands often—they can take to protect themselves and their loved ones and help slow the spread of COVID-19.
"North Carolinians care about each other and want to protect themselves and their loved ones. We want to make sure they have the information they need to do that,” said NCDHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen, M.D. “The information provided in the Protect and Prevent campaign resources help communicate the steps we can all take together to slow the spread of COVID-19.”
The social media marketing campaign ads will run in English and Spanish. To access the Prevent and Protect campaign resources, visit covid19.ncdhhs.gov/PreventAndProtect.