This Campaign Case Study looks at Icon Agency's Still Six Lives looks
Campaign: Still Six Lives
Client: Red Nose, SANDS Australia, Stillbirth Foundation Australia and the Stillbirth Centre of Research Excellence, with funding from the Federal Department of Health
Agency: Icon Agency
Background: Stillbirth is a hidden health crisis that claims six lives in Australia each day. That’s higher than the national road toll. Yet stillbirth remains a taboo subject which is rarely discussed. In 2021, Icon Agency broke through the stigma, silence and shame with an award-winning campaign — Still Six Lives.
When the opportunity arose to pitch an integrated, omnichannel campaign to further increase awareness about stillbirth and how it can be prevented, to a consortium of health groups backed by federal government funding, Icon seized the chance to make change. It is purpose-driven work such as the “Still Six Lives” campaign that drives behavioural change
At the heart of this story was hope: many stillbirths can be prevented. Icon’s national awareness and education campaign helped save lives by promoting three preventative behaviours for pregnant women: sleep on your side after 28 weeks, monitor changes in baby’s movements and quit smoking.
Objectives and Strategy:
The campaign had to cut through in a media-marketing landscape crowded by health messaging about the pandemic. It needed to impact across traditional, digital and social media while remaining sensitive to the deep trauma stillbirth evokes.
To achieve this, Icon’s core campaign creative centred around real women, real families, and real hope for change — through the three risk-reducing behaviours. A video series followed the story of bereaved parents, Holly and Josh, and other families touched by stillbirth. These authentic narratives showed the human face of this national crisis.
The crucial objective was adoption of the three risk-reducing behaviours among pregnant women — so of course, pregnant women and prospective mothers (women aged 18–42) were a key demographic. But the campaign had to be broader, engaging fathers and partners, family and friends, to achieve widespread community awareness and change. The campaign had to be massive.
To reach millions of people across Australia, Icon adopted an integrated approach spearheaded by digital channels. This was underpinned by a dedicated website designed to act as a hub for hosting creatives, raising awareness, providing support and consolidating educational elements.
The campaign began with public relations, kick-starting the conversation in national news, women’s lifestyle sites and radio stations. This was reinforced by paid media, organic socials and influencer marketing. Influencers amplified messaging and supported media opportunities. Their large followings ensured massive reach, drove website traffic, and set the scene for an innovative organic social media movement. For audiences that could not be reached in this way, paid media channels like YouTube and Google search helped drive further engagement.
Execution:
The campaign was delivered in three phases from February to October 2021, which enabled collateral and channels to be evaluated, adjusted, removed or redeployed in a staged way.
After an initial media release, intensive pitching saw the story find its place in the news agenda. Creative work was added as static and video content, podcast scripts and ads, across social media, YouTube, Google Search and Amobee. Icon also developed post content — with hashtags, mentions, and calls to action — for the health groups behind the campaign.
Organic socials were optimised with The Stillbirth Promise — an empowering tactic that connected influencer and organic socials, drove deeper engagement, and powered the campaign’s successful last phase. The Promise encouraged social media users to make a lasting commitment to addressing this crisis by posting a video of themselves sharing the risk-reducing behaviours. It was backed by high-profile ambassadors including the then federal health minister, Greg Hunt.
Results:
You can’t put a price on saving a life, but we do know the campaign had a lifesaving impact.
The campaign earned 663 media hits extending to a potential reach of nearly 250 million people. Influencer marketing produced 128 pieces of content to reach a potential audience of more than 8.3 million. This drove 910,000 post impressions, 41,700 post likes, and contributed to an organic post reach of 244,975 across Facebook and Instagram. Where audiences could not be organically reached, paid media played an important role, driving 89 per cent of website traffic.
The website registered 144,000 users, 157,000 web sessions, and 255,000 page views. Across the campaign, Icon maintained a CTR of 10.73 per cent; an incredible mark of engagement emphasising the impact of campaign creatives. And analytics indicate messaging on preventive behaviours was well targeted to those most likely to be pregnant or around pregnant people.
Google data covering a quarter of site users reveals they were 82 per cent female and 17.4 per cent male. The most common age profiles were 25–34, 35–44 and 18–24. Importantly, a support hotline run by Red Nose registered 1,500 ‘get support’ clicks to call from the site, suggesting the campaign reached those most in need.
SSL has also been evaluated by an expert third party, with researchers at The University of Sydney conducting a series of cross-sectional surveys before, during and after the campaign. Researchers identified a significant increase in the proportion of people who recalled seeing or hearing messages about stillbirth, and a small increase in stillbirth awareness. An increased proportion of participants said they’d advise pregnant family or friends about the risk-reducing behaviours.
The marketing-communications community has also acknowledged Icon’s success. In 2021, it was recognised through the awards programs of SABRE Asia-Pacific, in cause-related marketing, marketing to women, and government agency categories; In2 SABRE, for outstanding earned, sponsored and paid media; and the PRIA Golden Target Awards, where the campaign was named best in class for government sponsored campaigns.
Credits:
Integration agency – Icon Agency
Creative Strategy, Development and Production
Group Account Director: Hazel Tiernan
Integrated Account Director / Producer: Sam Cairns
Account Manager: Laura Osborne
Planner: Mat Crompton
Creative Director: Andrew North
Art Director: Damian Sloan
Copywriter: Andrew North
Designer: Nana Derkyi
PR, social media and influencer strategy
Group Account Director: Fiona Miller-Nwoke
Campaign implementation
Associate Account Director: Rebecca Peck
Senior Account Executive: Iman Osman
Account Coordinator: Mia Calder
Website
Senior Digital Project Manager: Kim Elliott
Senior Digital User interface designer: Warren Sheehan
Senior Front End Developer: Jess Jeong
Senior Developer: Jamie Brennan
Production Team
Producer: Sam Cairns
Cinematographer: Branco Grabovac
Camera Assist: Nic Leggat
Director: Grace Julia
Sound: Jake Holroyd
Runner and Zoom: Jake Mitchel
Hair and Makeup: Lily Fontana
Editor: Tim Whiting
Photographer: Samuel James
Media Agency – Atomic 212
Planning & Trading Director: Devon Roberts
Planning & Trading Manager: Anna Nguyen
Planning & Trading Assistant: Valentina Griesheimer
Performance Director: Rajiv Panchal
Performance Manager: Marc Walker
Performance Executive: Prue Hunter
Programmatic Lead: Jeremy Ng
Programmatic Executive: Carl Clasio
Still Six Lives Consortium Team
Red Nose CEO: Keren Ludski
Red Nose Co-CEO: Jackie Mead
Stillbirth Foundation Australia CEO: Leigh Brezler
Red Nose Stillbirth Awareness Campaign Manager: Justin Mansfield
Blue Hearts Foundation Founders: Holly & Josh
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