THURS-084 - Beyond a Transaction: A Strategic Communications Campaign for Elevating Awareness and Trust in Fresh Bucks

Brief Abstract Summary: Successful nutrition incentive program implementation requires community buy-in and building public trust to grow local roots. Discover how health communications were incorporated into a local nutrition incentive project’s awareness campaign, leveraging social media to disseminate project impact and engage with community stakeholders. This month-long campaign was broken into four segments, consisting of infographics from the key findings of the 2024 Fresh Bucks Participant Survey, nutrition education through produce-based recipes provided by Marion County Public Health Department’s Registered Dietitians, health equity through free kitchen utensils at community outreach events, and a call for submissions among program participants to increase digital engagement. Through strong partnerships, this budget conscious, social marketing-based campaign made over 60,000 impressions – leading to over 1,400 website visits and over 150 new program participants in 30 days.

Detailed abstract description: ‘Fresh Bucks’ a Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-matching program in Marion County, Indianapolis, Indiana was implemented to improve access to fruits and vegetables among minority and disadvantaged populations. Since 2022, programming has scaled to a sum of 18 participating locations, supporting 5,339 Hoosiers, 11% of its eligible population1. To increase program awareness and build public trust, a communications campaign was strategically organized, leveraging social media to disseminate project impact and engage with community stakeholders.
This month-long campaign was broken into four segments, incorporating a variety of health communications. The first segment consisted of six infographics visualizing data from the key findings of the 2024 Fresh Bucks Participant Survey, with a focus on how programming has impacted participants’ diet and nutrition and how participation has led to economic benefits, both personal and local. The second component of the campaign consisted of nutrition education through produce-based recipes provided by Marion County Public Health Departments’ (MCPHD) Registered Dietitians (RD) within the Chronic Disease Department, which included a personal sentiment on why the respective recipes resonated with the providing RD, to build rapport with the community. The third component focused on health equity, in which 12 community outreach events were held to provide free thermally insulated reusable bags filled with kitchen utensils to over 400 community members, providing tools to aid in preparation and consumption of fresh produce. The final component of this awareness campaign consisted of two calls for submissions – a “Share Your Haul” and “Nominate a Champion” – to increase digital engagement and reward participation. The “Share Your Haul” required participants to submit a photo of a recent fruit and/or vegetable purchase using their Fresh Bucks card and the “Nominate a Champion” encouraged participants to nominate a program partner – whether a cashier, farmers market manager, or farmers market vendor – who went above and beyond expectations to provide a meaningful shopping experience. This campaign was supported by several stakeholders, including but not limited to the Top10 Nutrition Coalition and MCHPHD’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program.
Through strong partnerships, this budget conscious social media marketing-based campaign made over 60,000 impressions – leading to over 1,400 website visits and over 150 new program participants in 30 days.

Presentation Type: Poster Presentation
Special Populations: Minority and Disadvantaged Populations
Categories: Communications, Social Media, & Technology and Health Equity
Keywords: Nutrition incentives, health communications

References:
1.DFR. Statistics. DFR. Published August 17, 2021. https://www.in.gov/fssa/dfr/forms-documents-and-tools/statistics/