Facebook launches new campaign to encourage people to follow COVID-appropriate behaviour

• The #MyStory campaign – made in collaboration with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Population Foundation of India and Love Matters India – aims to normalize the need to vaccinate and follow COVID-19 protocols.
• The campaign, conceptualized and created by Weber Shandwick India, includes 10 short films.

Facebook, in partnership with Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), Population Foundation of India and Love Matters India, has launched #MyStory, a campaign that spotlights the importance of taking continued precautions to curb the spread of the COVID-19.

The campaign, conceptualized and created by Weber Shandwick India, includes 10 short films, each focusing on narrating personal and relatable stories about the impact of COVID-19 on our lives. The campaign furthermore asks users to share their stories from the pandemic to build a sense of community from shared experiences. The films were conceptualized as part of a behavioural change campaign with the insight that personal and relatable stories lead to “normalization” and, in turn, greater acceptance of COVID-appropriate behaviours and vaccination.

Commenting on the campaign, Manish Chopra, Director and Head of Partnerships, Facebook, said, “Ever since the start of the pandemic, we have been working closely with health experts and governments worldwide to direct users to authentic resources on health and encourage them to follow appropriate behaviours that can help curb the pandemic. Conceptualized in collaboration with other leading health organisations, this campaign builds on how content can be leveraged to communicate the need for following COVID-19 norms and encourages people to opt for vaccines. Each of these videos has an element of human truth, mirroring day-to-day instances in a relatable manner.

People have undergone different experiences in the past year-and-a-half, and every experience is a story in itself. The idea behind #MyStory is also to encourage these people to come forward and share their stories. At a larger level, through this campaign we want to ‘normalize’ COVID-19 safety protocols and the need to get vaccinated.”

All the films in the campaign are 15-20 seconds long with impactful storytelling and a strong reveal at the end. For example, one of the videos showcases a friend who is keen to visit Goa over an upcoming long weekend but is taken to task by his friend who reminds him of the importance of observing safeguards against a possible third wave. In another video, released on Raksha Bandhan, a brother books a vaccination slot for his sister in order to showcase his love for his sister.

"What makes this campaign stand out is its powerful storytelling and that many of these stories feature or are focused on women, which is important since women are critical decision makers for health and wellbeing in their families. COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted women and girls in many different ways," said Poonam Muttreja, Population Foundation of India.

The mobile-first approach of the campaign is also something that makes it easily consumable, especially for the youth. Vithika Yadav from Love Matters India - an organisation that provides critical health and development information to a community of 20 million young people said, “It is essential to get the youth involved in the conversation around Covid-appropriate behaviours - they are one of the groups most likely to be stepping out of the house. We need to acknowledge their concerns and frustrations, while simultaneously helping them understand the importance of protecting themselves. This campaign manages to do that effectively, and the format of the films makes them highly engaging for this age group.”