BACKGROUND: Knowledge of hazards in the workplace begins with awareness of one’s workplace rights, yet this knowledge is often lacking among workers. Youth, who are newer to the workforce, as well as many adults who work with them, also may not recognize their risk for injury or the potential severity of injuries. In response, the Massachusetts Young Worker Project (YWP), with partner agencies, developed a social marketing campaign to raise awareness about the issues.
METHODS: Market research, including environmental scan and surveys of youth and adults, was conducted to inform campaign development. Three messaging concepts were developed, of which one was chosen based on feedback from youth and adult groups. The campaign ran during June 2016 and performance was measured through social engagement and website clicks. A campaign toolkit was developed to provide an overview of the campaign and sample messages organizations could use to spread the word about the campaign.
RESULTS: Based on market research, youth were the primary campaign audience and adults who influence them, secondary. Audience behavioral goals include knowing that young workers are at risk for injury, and believing that injuries are preventable through adequate knowledge, protections, and preparation. Ads were shown on Facebook 1,417,576 times to 175,390 people, with 17,560 people taking some form of action such as liking or sharing the ad. 38,493 website clicks at a cost of $0.12 per click were generated from the Facebook ads. It exceeded the 20,000 website clicks at cost of $0.25 per click that was expected based on other similar DPH campaigns. There were a total of 69 retweets and 72 likes from the original 60 tweets from the agencies.
CONCLUSIONS: Fine-tuning messaging for two audiences in a single campaign was key to this process since YWP’s main avenue for reaching youth is through adults, as was collaboration with agencies also invested in young workers protections and education. Use of social media as a campaign platform offers a more affordable way to engage audiences and raise awareness on a limited budget. Having experts in social media involved was a key to success. A one-stop website was a significant by-product of this campaign. An improved campaign is scheduled for May 2017.