Step up to beat Covid

As we enter a new world of learning to live alongside Covid, with restrictions coming to an end and rules becoming obsolete, there’s never been a more important time for us to step up and look out for ourselves, and others.

To follow on from our Covid Acts of Kindness campaign, working alongside seven local councils, we were challenged with delivering something that would talk to a younger audience – those being the most reluctant to follow (what were) the rules – by encouraging mask wearing, testing, distancing, isolating and vaccinations, despite Government guidance.

We wanted to talk to our audience in a different way, cutting through the masses of official Covid guidance that has taken over the world in the past two years.

To do so, we commissioned local artists Alex Mulholland (aka Mul) and Laura Sheldon to illustrate our key campaign slogans to remind people that continuing small behaviours will still have a big effect on reducing the spread of Covid.

These illustrations would be bright, colourful, and initially unrecognisable as Covid guidance – something that would stand out amongst those messages we’d become so used to seeing.

Our initial PR launch back in January, on the day Plan B measure came to an end, involved inviting members of the media to Newcastle Contemporary Art by High Bridge CIC, where Mul put the finishing touches to the first of these illustrations.

And now, as the campaign begins to be rolled out, and we see these beautiful illustrations in and around the North East, we are reminded that after two very long and difficult years, and as we finally begin to live more closely to the way we used to, we can still continue to do our bit – not because we have to, but because we know it can help to beat Covid.

The campaign will run across digital, social, OOH, press and radio, pointing audiences in the direction of BeatCovidNE.co.uk, where they can find up to date information, current guidance, downloadable campaign materials and case studies.