Campaigns
A campaign involves setting objectives and then coming up with a course of action to achieve these objectives.
Real-life example
In 2010, Wales launched a healthy living campaign called Change4Life Wales. The Change4Life focus was on enabling families to achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, to eat well and to be physically active. It set a number of targets over a six year period.
- To have 20,000 people sign up to the Change4Life Wales programme between 2013-14, 20,000 more between 2014-15 and a further 20,000 between 2015-16.
- To have 7,000 registrations on the Games4Life campaign launched in October 2012, whose aim was to encourage more people to be active through the summer holidays following the momentum of the Olympics, Paralympics and other major televised sporting events during this time.
- To have 2,500 registrations on the Sugar Swaps campaign launched in January 2015, whose aim was to encourage people to cut back on the amount of sugar they ate.
- To have 4,000 registrations on the Games4Life campaign which was launched in October 2015, whose aim was to inspire families to take part in outdoor, indoor and group games.
The campaign was evaluated at the end of its first year by comparing the targets set with the actual numbers. A research team sent out questionnaires, carried out telephone interviews and monitored the number of users on the Change4Life website in order to find out these actual numbers. They also counted the numbers of Facebook likes, Twitter usage and information packs sent to people鈥檚 homes. They found that the numbers exceeded the targets set, so the campaign was seen as very successful.
For example, the Games4Life campaign in 2012 had set a target of 7,000 registrations and actually achieved 8,767. Similarly, the target of 2,500 registrations for the Sugar Swaps campaign in January 2015 was exceeded as there were in fact 6,499 registrations.
The Change4Life team succeeded in communicating their message by choosing to promote the campaign via the communication channels (eg TV and radio) that they knew their target audience used. By communicating their message at the times that their target audience were accessing these communication channels, they were able to raise awareness successfully. Another way the campaign team managed to achieve its objectives was by coming up with a message that their target audience understood and wanted to act on - Eat well. Move more. Live longer.
Simple changes to our lifestyle can improve our health, help us to live longer and set a good example to our children. The Welsh Assembly Government is launching this campaign to provide practical advice and support to families across Wales about how they can make choices that will have a positive impact on the health of their children.