Mumbai: Every year, 3 to 5 million cases of severe influenza are reported worldwide, and influenza related deaths can range from 290,000 to 650,000 people (WHO report). Infants and children are among the most susceptible to the flu and little are people aware that the flu is capable of life-threatening complications if ignored.
To address this problem, Sanofi Pasteur & Mirum planned a digital campaign to drive awareness and action around the perils of flu. To help spread the message amongst the younger TG & the mothers, ChhotaBheem was onboarded for the digitally powered campaign – Stop Flu!
“We want the families In India to not ignore the devastating impact of Flu/Influenza and start protecting their loved ones against 4 types of Flu viruses, annually. This exciting positive campaign developed with Mirum should help reach out to wider health-conscious population and create urgency to Stop Flu with the help of doctors and our little but mighty ChhotaBheem!” comments Sushil Katdare, Head of Marketing – South Asia MCO, Sanofi Pasteur.
ChhotaBheem enjoys a euphoric craze among children, and usually, conversations with ChhotaBheem are always with children, with the mother being a by-stander. Right here, the creative partner for Sanofi Pasteur, Mirum, spotted an opportunity to break the norm. What if the mother was a part of the conversation too? Thus, was born the first digital asset of the campaign, a film with ChhotaBheem educating a mother about the flu.
“We wanted to feature ChhotaBheem innovatively so decided to weave in animation with real life shoot. A mother will be taken by surprise to see her child’s favourite character speak to her and will definitely take notice. It was a unique step to opt for a regular mom and ChhotaBheem as advocates of such a cause, and not a typical doctor,” says Kishor Shembekar, Creative Director, Mirum.
Being a digitally powered movement, it was crucial to speak to the right people at the right places. New age moms today are very active on digital, and among the strongest communities that we see online are mom communities. Mirum didn’t just reach out to mothers on these communities but also got several of them to blog extensively on the fight against flu. An important action to take here was a pledge –“I Promise To Stop Flu”.
Another huge stakeholder in this system is the doctor network. Mirum activated doctors on social media to write blogs and participate in virtual sessions and live panel discussions to further the cause.
Along with digital communication, the on-ground aspect of this was covered too with awareness literature in clinics. All this in a bid to inspire, and appeal to, parents to take this step for the well being of their children and families.
Take the pledge to Stop Flu and more importantly, ask your paediatrician about the flu vaccination today, is what we urge our readers to do as well.
