From the Nominator

"Promoting near-universal vaccination has been an international priority for public health agencies around the world for a large part of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many approaches have been tried, from informational materials about how vaccines work to vaccine mandates. These approaches have been partially effective, but they have failed to resonate with many important target audiences. Research suggests that some alternative strategies, such as using narratives, humor, and an entertainment-education approach, could be more effective for promoting health behaviors across all audiences. 

This short, animated video used a humorous, entertaining narrative to address vaccine hesitancy in a broad, diverse audience. Using culturally neutral characters, the video was designed to be completely wordless. The only words that appeared in the film were in the final call-to-action, which appeared in all major world languages. An engaging, comedic soundtrack and an easily shareable short format catalyzed rapid, spontaneous dissemination via social media.  

The video reached more than a million views through its original single YouTube post and went on to reach several million people around the world through re-posts. The video is currently being tested in a large randomized controlled trial. This innovative, cost-effective approach to health communication on COVID-19 priority topics was featured in a peer-reviewed commentary in the Journal of Global Health and has been the focus of several research studies led by the Heidelberg Institute for Global Health in Germany."

From the Judges

Very well done and creative approach. Message is appropriately conveyed to target audience. And impacts and outcomes were measured. Creative visual metaphors (especially love the balloon popping).