Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

People in rural areas and specific ethnic groups in major metro areas are disproportionately at risk to contract type 2 diabetes in their lifetimes. These are targeted areas of focus for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

JacobsEye worked with the CDC to develop a national multimedia campaign targeted at rural and minority individuals to encourage changes in their
diet and exercise habits to reduce their chances of being afflicted with type 2 diabetes. We determined the best way to reach these specific areas and targets was to engage them with familiar voices and faces. We created an education-focused campaign that featured real-life success stories from people within the target demographics who had successfully made lifestyle changes to prevent diabetes. The campaign included resources and strategies to avoid contracting the disease and living a healthy lifestyle.

The content was distributed via paid and PSA media efforts across all media platforms, from radio to TV to mobile digital. Also, those people who had made successful lifestyle changes were featured in local PR efforts. In local markets, events were held to help people learn how to make better food choices and sign up for exercise classes at local activity centers.

Wonderfully, after a two-year period, the incidence of type 2 diabetes dropped by 18% in the top 10 targeted rural markets.