As California continues its tiered vaccination plan to manage the spread of a virus that’s killed 40,000 people in the state, San Francisco agency Duncan Channon has been tapped to lead creative and media duties on a yearlong, $40 million public education campaign.

The agency, which won the assignment following a competitive review by the California Department of Public Health, will be responsible for developing a multicultural campaign meant to strengthen public confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines and to prepare Californians to get the vaccine once they become eligible.

 The campaign, which will run in 13 languages, will launch in early March and feature paid media and social media, including influencers, as well as PR and community engagement. Duncan Channon is partnering with a number of California multicultural agencies on the effort, including Barú, Apartnership and Rally.

 The push comes at a time when trust in the vaccines has been impaired by public fear and widespread misinformation, including among minority communities that have been disproportionately affected by the virus.

 Anne Elisco-Lemme, executive creative director at Duncan Channon, said the campaign will be “grounded in empathy,” with the understanding that the Black and Hispanic populations have historically been underserved by the healthcare system. “We’re not about bullying people into taking the vaccine,” as she put it.

 “One of the challenges is to speak to so many people who are on the fence about the vaccine in a way that resonates with them and that builds trust,” she said, adding, “People trust people they know, who’ve had same life experiences they have, who look like they do, who come from a similar background. We want to be smart about leveraging those kinds of people to help deliver the message.”  

This is the latest in a series of social-impact campaigns from Duncan Channon and follows the agency’s five-year, $400 million contract with Covered California, the largest state-run health insurance exchange created under the Affordable Care Act. The agency has also worked with the California Tobacco Control Program to reduce smoking and to combat the teen vaping epidemic.