2009 Flu Prevention PSA Campaign

This is an example of a governmental agency using new media to request public participation in creating a public service campaign that would have broad public appeal.

Specifically, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Kathleen Sebelius Secretary sent out a call for entries via an online video, with the message: "Create a 15, 30, or 60 second video Public Service Announcement (PSA) that will inform and motivate people to take steps that will help prevent the spread of the flu. Make your video fun, smart, and entertaining." Thus, the idea is to move beyond scare tactics, propaganda, or "visions of green-tinted faces grimacing in pain with bodies curled up fetus-style from stomach pain" (as one reporter describes it) and, instead, to make health information more accessible and entertaining for the YouTube generation. The video invitation also directed participants to the government's flu-centred website, described as "One-stop access to U.S. Government H1N1, avian and pandemic flu information."

Judging was participatory: "Our panel is selecting the finalists, but you will decide who wins. Go to our YouTube Channel and VOTE everyday from August 29th through September 7th." Those seeking to weigh in were invited to browse the entries here. An online map also enabled people to view PSAs from specific states.

By the end of the initiative, 222 entries had been submitted from all over the country by citizens of all ages. Out of these entries, a panel of 12 video communication and public health experts determined the top 10 entries. These were put on the HHS YouTube Channel and put to a public vote. Over 50,000 votes were cast in the 18 days that voting was open, and these votes determined the overall winner: John D. Clarke, MD, FAAFP, of Baldwin, New York, for his "H1N1 Rap" (see below). This video was selected because it is intended to be "a fun, highly educational, and entertaining way to learn about prevention of the H1N1 virus." Dr. Clarke received US$2,500, and his PSA was then aired on television as part of a health-focused public awareness campaign.

Health.

This campaign was organised in the context of information provided by the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology on August 24 2009 indicating that 30%-50% of the entire US population could be infected with swine flu in the autumn and winter of 2009. It was reported that as many as 1.8 million people may end up in the hospital, and 30,000 to 90,000 could die, with a concentration among children and young adults. That is more than twice the annual average of deaths typically associated with the seasonal flu.