LEXIGO has partnered with local communities to launch a co-created, in-language healthcare promotion initiative. 

“Strengthening immunity within community,” co-created with input from CALD communities, serves as a vital platform for conveying critical in-language information about COVID-19 to various communities across Australia. Its mission is to ensure that essential details regarding vaccination, protection, treatment, safety and support reach every corner of society. 

One of the primary goals of this initiative is to bridge communication barriers and facilitate dialogue between individuals who predominantly communicate in their native languages and their family members, friends, carers and English-speaking community members. 

By empowering all Australians to make informed decisions about their health, it aims to address concerns and questions related to COVID-19 vaccination and foster proactive behaviour to combat complacency and curb the spread of the virus. 

Drawing upon extensive research conducted within these communities, members with lived experiences in each group played a pivotal role in co-creating the campaign’s messaging. This ensured that the messaging directly addressed the unique needs and concerns of each community. 

Ambassadors to the campaign provided invaluable insights into their community’s experiences throughout the pandemic and how these experiences influenced their perception of COVID-19. They also play a crucial role in disseminating the campaign across channels that resonate with their respective communities. 

LEXIGO CEO and Founder Mark Saba highlighted the importance of crafting messaging that resonates with communities in a way that reflects their everyday lives and experiences. “We are proud to partner with the Department of Health and Aged Care on this vital initiative. 

“We know that 21% of Australians use a language other than English at home, which means almost a quarter of Australians are often overlooked when it comes to accessing reliable healthcare information and services. Even flawless English speakers often connect more deeply with content in their native or second language, allowing key messages to truly resonate.” 

Saba emphasised that the messaging and language would continue to evolve post-launch by incorporating feedback from community members and the broader population to ensure the messaging remains relevant and impactful. 

The unique approach of co-creating the initiative with communities helped LEXIGO avoid the confusion and misunderstandings that can arise from merely translating content intended for English speakers. LEXIGO also conducted extensive research to understand the characteristics, context, priorities and perspectives of key cultural groups. This research allowed the agency to create tailored content, social media strategies and media strategies for each unique cultural and linguistic group. 

The initiative also features carefully designed headlines, calls to action and a QR code system on campaign materials. This system redirects individuals to a landing page that can be read in their preferred language, including access to information in English, promoting cross-cultural communication. 

LEXIGO Head of Client Strategy Tony Lee emphasised the importance of this project in providing essential information to people from different communities. 

“By tailoring each element of the initiative to the community we are engaging, we’re able to deliver health messages in a way that really resonates with community members.” 

This article was initially written by Ritchelle Drilon for the Healthcare Channel.