Using Social to Shine a Spotlight on Health Equity

The pandemic and recent racial justice movements put a spotlight on health disparities. The impacts of social determinants of health (SDOH), such as income, education, location and access to health care, became more pronounced, and the need to advance health equity rose in importance. As a global health company and industry leader in whole-person health, Cigna realized an opportunity to use its social media reach to support the CDC and other organizations in championing this cause, focusing on the role health equity plays in preventing and managing chronic disease.

In November 2022, we launched a month-long, organic-only pilot health equity social media campaign aimed at creating conversation, generating awareness, and educating about diabetes, which disproportionately affects minority populations and communities experiencing inequity due to lower income, lower education and other SDOH. Grounded in audience research and business objectives, the cross-brand, cross-channel, bilingual social media campaign was aligned with Diabetes Awareness Month to organically amplify conversation. We structured the campaign with four one-week themes, featuring a weekly launch video followed by supporting posts.

Goals:
• Educate the public on diabetes.
• Educate and empower individuals living with pre-diabetes / diabetes, especially those facing equity barriers, to make smarter health decisions and live their healthiest lives.
• Identify successful organic social media content formats to engage followers and enact change.

Launched as an Instagram takeover, the campaign’s 36 posts featured Instagram-first elements including videos, interactive polls, quizzes, and Q&A sticker boxes. Posts featured a diverse panel of Cigna thought leaders, diabetes experts, and healthcare providers in selfie videos for an unscripted, organic feel.

Many posts, reels and stories were repurposed for LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and TikTok. They were also translated for Cigna’s Spanish-language channels to reach individuals from Latinx communities, who are overrepresented among Americans living with diabetes.