Social media in a crisis SUSAN BAILEY Head of Communications, ABMU

Agenda 1. Measles background 2. Campaign strategy 3. Social media reach 4. Outcomes

Background Major measles outbreak: 1,170+ 1990s media campaign/rogue research 95% MMR 2-dose needed for ‘herd immunity’ But in 2012 our MMR rate was just 83% 3 measles cases in November 2012 By February 2013 – jumped to 190

Campaign objectives Help end measles outbreak through urgent uptake of MMR jabs Increase MMR coverage closer to 95% herd immunity levels

Strategy – three strands 1) Traditional press/media 2) Social Media Encourage journalists to MMR drop in clinics Provide interview opportunities – clinical staff and families Promote role model families ‘Normalise’ vaccination behaviour through images/TV filming Platform for ‘real time debate’ Offer safety reassurance Support informed decisions Link to information and updates Publicise drop-in clinics Directly reach teenagers (lost MMR generation)

Strategy – three strands 3) Engaging schools and parents 40+ individual school web pages on ABMU website Information and personalised messages Links to pages embedded in texts sent to parents All three strands of strategy interlinked Press Schools Social Media

Social media - Facebook ‘Likes’ 1,300 Facebook posts 109 Post shares 4,000+ 540,000 total reach Post comments 1,000+ Teen ‘reach’ via £40 advert 13,000+

Social media – Twitter/web Schools’ pages, 9,000 hits ABMU measles Web page 16,000+ hits 35 schools text systems Web visits– 25,000+ Twitter: 85 Tweets, 500 re-tweets Debates on SWEP news website

Social media – highlights ‘Real time’ Facebook debates - up to 11pm Facebook post about first MMR clinic went viral – 133,000 views - first indication of how busy we would be Feedback from parents modified campaign on the go Correct inaccuracies Parents talking to parents

Images

Feedback Positive feedback Head teachers Parents Doctors LEAs

Outcomes Over 30,000 non-routine MMR jabs given University of Warwick modelling: potential measles cases decreased 20-fold and outbreak duration by 10 weeks 95.64% of youngsters had at least one MMR – first time milestone 89.1% had two MMR – over 4% increase

Questions? Happy to answer any questions Picture: Parents queuing at first MMR clinic at Morriston Hospital, April 2013