As the COVID-19 pandemic raged across the globe, one of the most challenging aspects of working in public health was grappling with the fear and misinformation surrounding the vaccine.
Fear and mistrust exist across all demographics, but African American women have been shown to be especially reluctant to receive the vaccine.
In response, the National Medical Association (NMA) - the oldest association of black physicians in the US - partnered with Frontiers Animation to create an explanatory video about the safety of the appliance of the Covid 19 Vaccine on black women in pregnancy.
In this case study, we will look at how Frontiers Animation designed a powerful animated video to help the NMA reach out to black women in all phases of pregnancy and explain the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine.
Opportunity
NMA is the oldest association of black physicians in the United States, and their OBGYN division has a long history of advocating for the health of black women. In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, they saw an opportunity to help dispel some of the vaccine's fear and misinformation.
By helping spread the messaging in an engaging and informative way, NMA hoped to encourage black women to get the vaccine and keep themselves, their families, and their communities safe from the virus.
While there are many ways to express life-saving medical information, one method that continues to prove successful is animation.
Animation is a great way to show complex information easily digestible. It can be particularly helpful when trying to reach populations who may mistrust traditional forms of communication or those who lack access to factual information from healthcare professionals.
In partnership with Duke University, NMA contacted Frontiers Animation to help create an explanatory video about the safety of the appliance of the Covid 19 Vaccine on black women in pregnancy.
As part of our commitment to helping businesses and organizations meet the needs of those affected by COVID-19, Frontiers Animation was proud to design and build an animated video that will help the NMA reach their target audience.
Planning and Execution
Every effective animation video begins with clear and concise planning. The Frontiers team worked with NMA to understand their organization's purpose, mission, and operations to build a proper understanding of the project.
Once the team had a solid understanding of the content and messaging they wanted to communicate, we began storyboarding the video. This stage involved creating a rough outline of how the video would flow, what visuals and animations would be used, and where voiceover would be most effective.
The story of the video follows Morgan, an African American woman who is reflecting on her decision to receive the COVID-19 vaccine during her pregnancy.
The animations and transitions flow smoothly, and emotional appeals match factual evidence to provide a powerful and persuasive argument. The addition of high-quality voiceovers gives life to the visuals and helps drive the message home.
The final step was post-production, where we adjusted the video for color, sound, and overall quality. Finally, the client was given the final product, which they then used across platforms to help reach their target audience.
Client Feedback and Reaction
The final product was a highly informative and engaging video that explained the science behind the vaccine, addressed some of the common fears and misconceptions, and showed how the vaccine was safe for pregnant black women or planning to become pregnant.
NMA was very pleased with the finished product, and the video has been incredibly successful in reaching and convincing black women to get the vaccine. The video has been featured on numerous news outlets and social media platforms, and it has helped dispel some of the fear and misinformation surrounding the vaccine.
"Colleagues who used this team to work with Latinx communities around COVID messaging highly recommend this vendor. Frontiers Animation came up with innovative concepts and approaches we did not consider. We expressed the problem and the tone we wanted to present and they helped us conceptualize a beautiful way to demonstrate the material that we felt was very culturally grounded. This team is exceptional, empathetic, diverse, efficient, and EFFECTIVE."
Dr. Maria Small