The Louisiana Department of Health partnered with social influencer agency Xomad on a campaign seeking to dispel myths about COVID-19 vaccines and provide trustworthy information to residents, specifically targeting populations of color.

Xomad vetted and engaged 113 Louisianans with prominent social media followings to share personal stories about why they were vaccinated.

The campaign, launched in January 2022, captured the bronze award for Social Media Campaign of the Year among advocacy organizations in the Healthcare Marketing Impact Awards 2023. The health department and Xomad used the latter’s client and creator platform to engage influencers and gauge audience sentiment so the campaign could grow and evolve. Additionally, the health department was able to prepare messaging for influencers to share on platforms such as TikTok during real-time events, including a hurricane. 

The five-phase campaign garnered 16.4 million impressions and reached nearly 5 million users, according to Xomad. Despite the polarization associated with the vaccines, the overall sentiment was overwhelmingly positive, the agency said. Less than 1% of the reported 91,000 engagements reflected a negative interaction.