20. 11. 2021
The “Prevention of Antibiotic Resistance” campaign was launched in the second half of November. Its aim is to raise awareness among the Czech population about the increasingly serious problem of resistance of microbial infections to antibiotic treatment. The aim is to inform the public that overuse and misuse of antibiotics can lead to a situation where antibiotics do not work against infectious diseases. The project was supported by a grant from the EEA Grants 2014-2021 from the Health Programme. The commissioning agency is the State Institute of Health and the implementing agencies are REMMARK and McCann Prague.
Around 33 000 people die every year in Europe as a result of antibiotic resistance. Some studies estimate that if this trend continues at the same rate, the number will rise to 10 million by 2050, which would be more than cancer[1]. In response to this alarming data, a new project on “Prevention of antibiotic resistance” was launched in the second half of November and will run until spring 2023. The campaign is being implemented jointly by REMMARK and McCann Prague. The creative concept was developed by the McCann Prague agency, which prepared the TV and radio spots, print advertising and electronic media communications.
The campaign uses a wide range of communication tools, with advertising on television, in print and online. The creative treatment works with a simple concept, which is intended to engage the public in a humorous way and only then point out the seriousness of the problem. “The simple form allows us to hold attention long enough to deliver the full message of good behaviour. We illustrate the dangers of incorrect use of antibiotics by first showing the risk to the user and only secondly to society as a whole. We work with simple, easy-to-understand illustrations, which emphasises the positive message. They also make the campaign stand out from the many pharmaceutical advertisements that the media space is saturated with at the turn of autumn and winter,” says David Palivec from Remmark.
The campaign is complemented by PR activity and social media activity. An important part of the campaign is the campaign’s opening song, which accompanies the ad spot but also works independently on radio. The aim of the song is to inform the general public about the issue of antibiotic resistance in a light-hearted way and with a catchy tune. The song was composed by Jan Pokorný and recorded by Jiří Burian.
The campaign also includes a joint survey conducted by REMMARK and Engage Hill, which examines the attitudes and behaviour of the Czech public and the impact of the ongoing campaign on them. The research is being carried out on a sample of 2,000 respondents from the Czech population aged 16-65. It already reveals, for example, that not even half of the respondents (only 43.5%) have heard of the term ‘antibiotic resistance’ in this country. In the target group of university students, 2 out of 3 (64.6%) have encountered the term antibiotic resistance, which is clear evidence of the importance of education.
[1] Zdroj: Healthcare Infection Society UK