The Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District's (GLACVCD/District) Communications deparment is pleased to announce that it is the EPIC Award Winner of the California Association of Public Information Officials (CAPIO) 2023 Excellence in Public Information & Communication (EPIC) Award for its 2022 Summer Campaign "End the Bites with Mosquito Watch" submission.

The District's 2022 Summer Campaign "End the Bites" focused on marketing the Mosquito Watch progam to increase awareness and participation. Mosquito Watch offers District residents easy and accesible resources to educate, mobilize, and empower their neighbors or tentants to reduce mosquito breeding and disease risks in their community.  Make mosquitoes one less thing to worry about! 

Learn more about our summer campaign below:

BACKGROUND

In 2011, the invasive Aedes mosquito established its presence within the Greater Los Angeles area. Aedes mosquitoes not only pose a threat to public health, but they are changing the way of life for millions of Los Angeles residents with their aggressive day-time biting behavior.

In an effort to help empower residents to take action against mosquitoes and enjoy the outdoors again, the Greater Los Angeles County Vector Control District (GLACVCD/District) launched Mosquito Watch in 2020.

Mosquito Watch offers District residents easy and accessible resources to educate, mobilize, and empower their neighbors or tenants to reduce mosquito breeding and disease risks in their community.

 Mosquito Watch's target audience are adults between 35 to 64 years of age who:  1) are homeowners or property managers in high-biting pressure neighborhoods and/or 2)  actively engage in their neighborhood/community. 

Residents can take action with Mosquito Watch by taking the Mosquito Watch pledge or requesting multi-lingual door hangers and/or presentations.

RESEARCH AND PLANNING

Informal research into the District’s social media communications, NextDoor engagement, presentation and outreach event feedback, and website submissions influenced key messages.

Depict funny and relatable scenarios of what our target audience experiences during the mosquito season and tap into people's feelings of frustration or hopelessness.

To meet campaign goals and objectives, the District leveraged partnerships with cities and organizations, scheduled outreach events, developed print and digital assets in multiple languages, and utilized paid and earned media.

Creatives: PSA videos, graphics/ads, and newsletter article

 ​​SOCIAL MEDIA

PSAs (15-30 seconds), reels, and graphics

Facebook and Instagram 

Social media tool kit for cities and partners

PAID MEDIA 

Univision (Recuerdo LA 103.9 FM)

Outfront Media (bus tails and digital banners)

Digital and Print Ads

 CITY/AGENCY PARTNERSHIPS

Social media tool kits and newsletter features 

PSA runs in public access channels 

Utility bill inserts, digital billboards 

 COMMUNITY OUTREACH

The District participates in many local fairs and community events throughout the year to provide residents with mosquito information and resources.

IMPLEMENTATION

CONCLUSION

Website, social media, and Bitly analytics were reviewed and evaluated to determine the success of the campaign. In addition, paid media vendors provided impression data to further measure the reach of the campaign.

Using Bitly links and website analytics, we observed a 61% increase in landing page views compared to the previous year, a 100% increase in pledges was achieved through outreach events and in participation from internal operations staff.

Overall, the summer campaign was considered a success because it increased awareness of the Mosquito Watch program and pledges in the targeted areas and audience and participation from internal operations staff.