Our target audience was parents of infants and young children in countries with higher meningococcal disease prevalence and the most urgent need for awareness and education

Meningococcal disease is sudden, aggressive and can lead to death or cause devastating impacts within 24 hours of onset. As early symptoms are often hard to diagnose, a strong need exists for disease education. To help educate parents on the importance of vaccination, Novartis Vaccines, in partnership with world-renowned photographer Anne Geddes and the Confederation of Meningitis Organisations (CoMO) (Australia) launched the global campaign, Protecting Our Tomorrows: Portraits of Meningococcal Disease. The project aimed to broaden awareness of the importance of vaccination to help prevent meningococcal disease, by illustrating the disease in a way that has never been done before: celebrating beauty and strength. Geddes traveled the globe photographing 15 survivors and their families; the images were compiled into a free eBook, launched on World Meningitis Day, April 24, 2014, which became the #1 Top Free Release in iBooks’ Arts & Entertainment section.

Our objective was to raise awareness of the dangers of meningococcal disease while underscoring the importance of vaccination as the most effective form of prevention. We aimed to ensure greatest reach in countries with higher disease prevalence and the most urgent need for awareness/education, targeting primarily parents of young children. Our goal was to provide partner country communicators and their local partner PR agencies with an easily implementable toolkit program that resonates in their market, giving them collateral they could adapt/use at the local level.

Conducted photo shoots with 15 meningococcal disease survivors from 12 countries in Sydney, London and Toronto, creating unique images for eBook that also tell impactful visual stories online/in print (2013-2014)

On World Meningitis Day, launched eBook (iBooks), supported by photo exhibits/press events in Italy, France, Germany, Canada, Spain, Brazil, global press release (2014)

London: A 3,400 bear-strong “Teddy Bear Picnic” installation illustrated UK meningitis incidence/mortality rate (2013)

Canberra: Geddes addressed Australian Parliament about campaign (2014)

Washington DC: Unveiled images with art exhibition/speaker panel; partnered with advocacy groups (2015)

Ottawa: Geddes met with First Lady of Canada, Minister of Health, spoke at CIC. Geddes/affected families shared experiences with Senators, Members of Parliament (2014)

Developed first-ever meningitis Tumblr; served as a global, central campaign hub with regularly updated creative content (2014)

Leveraged Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to showcase survivors’ visual stories across all Novartis, Geddes and CoMO platforms, achieving surround sound/increasing reach

eBook became the #1 Top Free Release in the iBooks Arts & Entertainment section

Average global user rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars, 200+ positive customer reviews

12,625 downloads to-date

Generated significant real-time engagement and participation on social media platforms from parents, survivors, medical professionals and advocates

Saw traction via Geddes’ online community: they embraced and supported campaign by sharing, liking and commenting on all campaign-related posts

Gathered strong online support from worldwide advocacy group community

29,000+ Tumblr page views to-date from users across 116 countries

Twitter hours/takeover resulted in organic shares, program visibility

Primary driver of #meningitis and #WorldMeningitisDay2014

Videos received 25,000+ views to-date

Utilizing various channels for media efforts as global program owner, garnered 175+ Million impressions in traditional media

9 countries secured at least one national placement

100% of coverage was positive/neutral in tone

When planning the campaign, we wanted to:

Create a large-scale global project, utilizing powerful images of the survivors to offer a universal, shareable viewing experience that crosses borders and language barriers while communicating disease impact & bravery of its survivors

Ensure the greatest reach in countries with higher disease prevalence and the most urgent need for awareness and education, targeting primarily mothers/fathers of young children

Engage celebrated photographer and known global advocate for children, Anne Geddes, as the celebrity spokesperson/campaign ambassador

Enlist global charity group partner, CoMO, for credible voice, and global credibility, and partner with advocacy groups regionally to help bolster local media activities and identify patient participants from countries around the globe

Provide partner country communicators and their local partner PR agencies with an easily implementable toolkit program that will resonate in their market and provide collateral adaptable for use at a local level

Despite appropriate treatment for meningococcal disease, 5-10% of people who contract the disease will die even if they are diagnosed and receive early/appropriate treatment. Up to 20% of those affected will suffer long-term consequences such as brain damage, amputations and hearing loss. The initial symptoms are often unspecific/flu-like; it can be difficult even for a healthcare professional to diagnose early. In fact, most cases of meningococcal disease occur in previously healthy people and without warning. Therefore, there education is needed on the impact of the disease and the importance of vaccination as the most effective form of prevention.