Our Future Health
Launching and raising awareness for the UK’s largest-ever health research programme.
Our Future Health is the UK’s largest-ever health research programme.
Working in partnership with the NHS, the government and leading healthcare businesses and charities, they plan to build the clearest and most detailed picture of national health we’ve ever had by compiling a diverse database of 5 million people across the UK.
The data collected will be invaluable in helping researchers develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat the world’s most prevalent diseases so that future generations can live healthier lives for longer.
Historically, health research programmes have under-recruited a representative group of volunteers, which has led to significant communities being underrepresented and under-researched. To achieve a true cross-section of the country’s diverse population, it was important that Our Future Health broke this pattern, which meant overcoming pre-existing distrust of healthcare institutions and connect with these underrepresented groups.
The result
Vastly exceeding targets with over:
1.9 million volunteers.
Being meaningful to underrepresented audiences
Extensive research had been conducted into perceptions of the NHS, health data and research programmes and the motivations and barriers to taking part. Using the COM-B model (Capabilities, Opportunities, Motivations and Behaviours), we explored the biases and behavioural heuristics to address these barriers, partnering with renowned behavioural scientist Richard Shotton to develop messaging that tapped into them and encouraged behavioural change.
That work unlocked a key insight that our competition was not another organisation or brand, but instead an inherited distrust and apathy for government and healthcare institutions. As such, it was crucial that we made Our Future Health trustworthy and meaningful to people who did not know or care about it.
Building trust
We featured existing staff and volunteers in many of our campaigns to emphasise the real people involved, building trust through transparent communications that directly addressed historically under-recruited populations.
We embraced and showcased the altruistic, inclusive passion of Our Future Health throughout the campaign, centring our hero video, digital assets and OOH executions around a simple overarching proposition:
‘Be part of the answer’.
Tailoring the message
Campaign messaging tailored to the specific health concerns and motivations of target groups was developed both regionally and at local neighbourhood levels, covering themes like altruism, community and the value of research to future generations.
We used detailed targeting in both digital and OOH channels to precisely match the specifically tailored creative executions with their desired audiences, with every ad meeting all accessibility standards.
Further outreach campaigns have developed into targeted neighbourhoods, engaging with local media, community leaders and sports teams to build and nurture new relationships and trust.
The result?
The campaigns launched in late 2022 in key regional cities, before rolling out across England with further expansion into Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland in the pipeline.
So far, our work has generated awareness of Our Future Health nationwide and helped the programme reach an incredible
1.9 million volunteers
(and counting).
“They were part of the team, they sweated just as much as we did, they flexed when we flexed as priorities changed and they did all of this with grace, professionalism and good humour.”
Pete Wilson
Our work in action.
CHSW
Raising awareness and donations for Children’s Hospice South West with TV and paid social campaigns.
Camp Bestival
Reshaping perceptions and boosting ticket sales for the UK’s largest family festival.
Cerba Research
Building a global health brand from the inside out.
