The #KCVaxVerified campaign to communicate the King County Vaccine Verification Policy was selected as the best communications campaign in its category in the 2022 PRSA Silver Anvil Awards.
The campaign was a collaborative effort by the Seattle Metro Chamber, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and Monument Advocacy.
See the official award results here.
About the Campaign
A vaccine verification requirement at King County restaurants, bars, and fitness centers could prevent up to 75,900 infections, 1,760 hospitalizations, and 257 deaths locally over six months amid the Delta COVID-19 wave in 2021.
We heard from many businesses, however, that this requirement could be daunting to implement. They needed to train employees, communicate with customers, and learn de-escalation techniques when verification goes awry. The timeline was an obstacle – businesses are used to having 6 to 18 months to comply with new regulations.
Seattle Metro Chamber of Commerce partnered with Public Health – Seattle & King County on a tight timeline: 2 weeks to research, announce the new requirements, and launch an informational website. Then, just 5.5 weeks for businesses to change operations, train staff and comply. The result was a win-win-win: Businesses got to keep their doors open, customers could enjoy a meal out or an in-person event, and most importantly, lives were saved.
GOAL: Increase knowledge in 10,000 impacted King County businesses to encourage compliance with the vaccine verification requirement.
RESULTS: The 5.5-week sprint paid off. King County celebrated “widespread compliance by customers and businesses alike.” It’s estimated that 92% of the 10,000 businesses verified vaccinations — just 8% of businesses received complaints of non-compliance. Complaints were received for 806 unique business locations through Jan. 31, 2022 (8% of the 10,000). From the few inspections done, most of the businesses that received complaints were found in compliance, our enforcement lead said.
Additional highlights:
161 business community partners leveraged for outreach – 258% increase above target.
32 news clips regionally and nationwide – 220% increase above target.
2.3 million digital ad impressions – 130% above target.
21 language translations for Accessible and Equitable Education and Outreach Materials – hit the target.
66,000 print ad circulation, 141,225 social media engagements + video views 20,000 visits to the website.
6.5 minutes – average time spent on the KCVaxVerified.com website per session.
101 business contacts collected through the KCVaxVerified website – prospective Chamber members.
6 business training webinars with 1,114 registered and 3,028 total People Reached in attendance + replays.
About the Silver Anvil Awards
- For over 75 years, the Anvils have been considered the icon of the profession and the benchmark of high performance in public relations.
- Silver Anvil Awards celebrate the best strategic public relations campaigns of the year, as well as outstanding organizational excellence.
Unlike other contests where winners who achieve a certain score earn an award, you must earn the top score in the category to win a Silver Anvil. The runner-up earns an Award of Excellence.
- Our category was Public Service>Partnerships (funded jointly by businesses and other organizations including nonprofits and government).
What The Silver Anvil Judges Said
- “One of the best insights and analysis sections I have seen. I particularly like how you pair your research insights with the planning decisions.”
- “In a short time period, you were able to collect important data and insights to inform a plan that would lead to measurable results. Great job.”
- “Truly amazing work in a tight turnaround.”
- “One of the questions judges ask themselves is how well did this program adapt to changing circumstances. Several of the examples you gave: pivoting to fight misinformation, prioritizing languages, initiating ‘street teams’, and finding additional businesses for media interviews were great examples.”
- “Ability to pivot following social media misinformation impressive. What a great way to utilize partners to distribute signs and resources.”
Congratulations to the Seattle Metro Chamber, Public Health – Seattle & King County, and Monument Advocacy!