Boosting RSV Awareness

RSV is a virus that can affect people of all ages and strikes fear in the heart of any expectant parent aware of the serious risks to infants. As the most common cause of pneumonia and bronchiolitis among babies, it’s imperative that parents are informed about the illness.

Havas Media Network’s (HMN) global healthcare and pharmaceutical client sought to increase RSV awareness among expectant and infant parents to increase vaccination rates. With this vital mission, the agency developed a robust, integrated cross-platform advertising campaign that included HMN programmatic ads, paid social, and connected TV.

Informing parents without inciting panic

Effective communication and media planning for advertising to new parents about a frightening disease like RSV requires skillful consideration. It was crucial to convey the seriousness of the risks without inciting panic or mistrust. At the same time, it was essential to use the most meaningful platforms and channels to reach new and expecting moms and other close caregivers.

HMN sought to deliver impactful messaging that encouraged conversation and instilled confidence so parents would decide to vaccinate their children against RSV. In evaluating campaign effectiveness, the agency needed to answer three critical questions for its client:

• Did the messaging improve awareness of RSV and all the treatment options?
• Which platforms drove awareness and persuasion metrics most significantly?
• What was the optimal frequency across platforms?

DISQO Brand Lift

HMN partnered with DISQO to measure campaign effectiveness across platforms with clarity and consistency. Using DISQO Brand Lift, HMN evaluated impact on key KPIs, including awareness and persuasion, through a unified methodology applied across every channel.

DISQO enabled person-level ad exposure tracking across media environments, including social platforms often limited by traditional measurement. By comparing exposed audiences to carefully matched control groups, DISQO quantified true incremental lift.

The result was a validated, cross-platform view of performance. HMN identified which channels drove meaningful impact, uncovered audience-level insights, and gained the clarity needed to optimize media investments with confidence.

Increased awareness

HMN confirmed that shaping a media plan to reach consumers in trusted environments with meaningful messaging yielded the best results. Overall, unaided awareness of RSV increased, with parents either mentioning it first (+17 points) or mentioning it at all (+20 points) when asked about infant respiratory illnesses. Parents in the younger, 18–34 age group saw the most significant shift, as awareness increased by 38–42 percentage points.

Parents moved to action

Parents of children aged 2 or under saw the most significant shifts in the persuasion metrics of “concerned” and “likelihood to treat,” which demonstrated that the messaging and audience targeting achieved the client’s goals.

Higher-frequency plans yielded little gain in awareness

Advertisers have long pursued an understanding of ad exposure frequency across siloed platforms. Through DISQO’s methodology, the agency evaluated how often people were exposed to an ad across all media properties in the campaign. While all ranges of exposure significantly impacted awareness, the campaign achieved the most significant gains in awareness after just one to three exposures.

HMN programmatic served up awareness in trusted environments

Through HMN’s programmatic ad server, the agency delivered ads in a brand-safe way, ensuring the right individuals saw the ads in relevant content environments. These programmatic ads proved to be the most effective across all media in generating awareness, achieving a 34-point increase, 14–17 points above the baselines for media platforms and channels in the campaign.

For the target audiences of expecting parents and those with infants under 1 year, digital advertising led to a double-digit rise in unaided RSV awareness. While social media was the primary driver for recall among this age group, all channels contributed positive lift.

Key takeaways

Deepen messaging for parents of infants

Parents with children under two showed higher concern (+6 points) and stronger treatment intent (+8 points). This audience is actively seeking clarity and reassurance. When targeting new and expecting parents, lead with detailed, educational messaging. Clear explanations of risks, benefits, and next steps build trust and position your campaign as a credible source of guidance.

Activate trusted media environments for sensitive topics

HMN drove stronger awareness lift through its programmatic ad server and Meta platforms. Over 90% of those reached through these channels expressed positive treatment intent. Place sensitive public health messaging within trusted, brand-safe environments. Social platforms, where parents connect daily, and curated programmatic inventory create the right setting for engagement.

Prioritize reach over excess frequency

Awareness lift peaked after one to three exposures, with minimal gains at higher frequency levels. For public health campaigns focused on awareness, maximize reach before increasing frequency. Expanding exposure across more individuals drives broader impact without diminishing returns.

Measure complete cross-platform ad effectiveness. Let’s DISQO: hello@disqo.com