COMMUNITY
Orange County Communications Division Honored With Silver Anvil For #IGotMyShot Public Safety Campaign Recognized as One of the Best Strategic Public Relations Campaigns in the Nation The #IGotMyShot communications campaign has also received an Award of Excellence from the Orange County Communications Division has Florida Association of Counties and an Achievebeen recognized for its efforts in planning and ex- ment Award of Excellence from the National Assoecuting the #IGotMyShot Campaign to Combat ciation of Counties. Locally, the Orlando Chapter Vaccine Hesitancy by the Public Relations Society of the Florida Public Relations Association awardof America (PRSA) with the highest national hon- ed Orange County both an Image Award and the or, the Silver Anvil last week in New York City. Grand Image Award. Senior Public Information Officer, Despina McLaughlin and Digital Specialist, Sarah Dillon led the campaign, which rolled out in April 2021 during the height of the COVID-19 vaccine distribution. The two accepted the award on behalf of the Communications Division at the historic Edison Ballroom. “I am so proud of this national honor bestowed on Orange County. But beyond that, this innovative campaign brought about life-saving results. By encouraging Orange County residents to get COVID-19 vaccinations, the #IGotMyShot campaign saved lives,” said Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings. “We applaud our communications team for their creativity and efforts in executing our important campaign.”
MORE INFORMATION: #IGotMyShot Campaign to Combat Vaccine Hesitancy In April 2021, COVID-19 vaccines became available to Florida residents 16+. Research revealed that hesitancy was growing, especially with minorities under 50 years old, due to the spread of misinformation and the speed of vaccine development. However, research also uncovered that this demographic could be swayed once armed with facts. The Orange County Government Communications team set out to reach minority residents and encourage vaccination through the #IGotMyShot public safety campaign. Our efforts paid off as Orange County minority vaccinations more than doubled and the overall vaccination percentage increased from 28% to 71% by the campaign’s conclusion on September 14, 2021.
