Independence Blue Cross (Independence) was recognized for excellence in communications in three categories at this year’s Pepperpot Awards. The annual awards program is hosted by the Philadelphia Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America to recognize outstanding campaigns and tactics throughout the region.
Independence’s 2022 Pepperpot Awards
- A first place Pepperpot for the Health Equity blog series in the Content Marketing Not-For Profit category.
- A Ladle for the Beat COVID-19 Childhood Vaccinations and Adult Booster campaign with Brian Communications in the COVID-19 External Communications Not-For-Profit category.
- A Ladle for the Health of America video series with Circle Square Studios in the Audio/Video Programs category.
Each of the winning campaigns and tactics reflect Independence’s ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of the people and communities we serve.
The Health Equity series produced 15 blogs in 2022, covering a range of important health topics like LGBTQIA health, maternal health, mental health, gun violence, food insecurity, and more. The effort was led by Marketing in close partnership with the Health Equity team and Corporate Communications.
The 12 blog posts published within the judging period have garnered over 3,300 page views. Across the board, visitors spent an average of over two minutes with each post. The post, Gender isn’t a reveal, it’s a journey, saw visitors spending an average of 6:20 on the page, demonstrating an engaged readership.
Independence launched the Beat COVID-19 public awareness campaign in March 2020 and has continued to evolve the campaign’s messaging, target audiences, and tactics with the pandemic. In this latest award-winning phase, the Corporate Communications team has used data-driven messages and trusted Independence clinical leaders as spokespeople to promote childhood vaccinations and COVID-19 boosters. The theme of the campaign is “Love and Protect.”
Health of America is a longstanding data-informed initiative from The Blue Cross Blue Shield Association that Independence’s Corporate Communications team amplifies locally through creative tactics like the video series. Recent videos covered maternal health inequities, the economic and physical impacts of caregiving, and the HPV vaccine. The videos leverage animated statistics and explain the “why’ behind the significance of each trend.
Members of the Corporate Communications and Marketing teams at Independence attended the ceremony at The Lucy on December 6 to accept the awards.