Sachs Media once again earned high recognition from its professional peers, taking home an Image Award and Judge’s Award in the Public Service category at last night’s Florida Public Relations Association Capital Chapter Image Awards. The firm won the awards for its Safe & Healthy COVID-19 Awareness campaign.
The FPRA Capital Chapter’s annual awards program recognizes Tallahassee’s most outstanding PR practitioners for their creative and effective public relations work. Sachs Media is a frequent winner of top awards at the event, reinforcing its status as one of the capital’s – and the state’s – preeminent communications firms.
A year into the tumultuous COVID-19 pandemic, health officials warned that the worst was yet to come for Americans – a forecast that came amid “COVID fatigue” when many Americans were already abandoning health and safety precautions. To bring unified positive information about COVID-19 prevention to Florida’s Big Bend area, Sachs Media created the Safe & Healthy campaign in which it partnered with local governments, hospitals and health care providers, the public school system, and media partners to keep the public informed and provide up-to-date information on COVID-19.
“We are deeply proud and honored to be recognized for our part in the Safe & Healthy campaign,” said Lisa Garcia, Partner and Chief Operating Officer at Sachs Media. “While it’s always a pleasure to be recognized for a job well done, Sachs Media finds it’s even more important to affect meaningful change for the good of our community. We hope the tools we created and the insights we delivered will continue to bring change and produce a positive impact.”
The Safe & Health campaign provided up-to-date information designed to reduce public hesitancy and resistance about the COVID-19 vaccine. Messaging drove traffic to a campaign website housing a wide range of helpful resources, and the campaign featured a press conference, press releases, articles, op-ed, and videos with prominent local influencers encouraging residents to maintain safe and healthy practices.
In addition, Sachs Media conducted periodic public opinion surveys within the region to measure public sentiment. Results showed a substantial improvement in public awareness over the course of the six-month campaign, as hesitancy about getting a COVID-19 vaccine dropped from 78% in December 2020 to just 18% in July 2021 among those who had previously expressed concerns.