Finding ‘healthy’ – Bupa launches first social media pledge campaign
Posted on 11. Jul, 2011 by Rebecca Crouch in Communications, Fun stuff, Health, Industry
The start of last month saw the launch of Bupa’s new healthy social media campaign on Facebook. Aimed at improving people’s health and helping you find ‘healthy’; your fitness loving inner child, I’d like to congratulate you Bupa, I think you’ve done a great job.
With 33 million UK Facebook users, and news earlier this year that one in five people in the U.S. use social media to make decisions about their health, (and UK figures are thought to be similar), health care providers would be silly to ignore this plethora of potential clientele.
So, how does it work? Easy, on visiting Bupa Facebook page, in three simple steps Facebook users to find ‘healthy’ are invited to:
1. ‘Like’ the Bupa UK page
2. Take a health age test using the Bupa health calculator
3. Make a Health Pledge
Simple. So I decide to give it a try. On discovering that my health age was 10 years higher than my genuine age (uh-oh), the helpful easy to use and ‘not-too-personally-invasive’ Bupa health calculator gave me some recommendations to help improve my overall health and help lower my unsightly health age, (hooray!). I’m sold. I’ve signed up to three of Bupa’s four health pledges and set my personal goals; where I can track my progress on a daily basis, earn achievements and get support from Bupa, all for free. Brilliant. Here’s to finding healthy.
The beauty of the campaign is its simplicity. It looks great, it’s easy to use and has helped bring Bupa to a new demographic. Normally when one thinks of Bupa, we are warmed by images of cheery grannies in friendly care homes or personable squares and circles seeking advice from pleasant Bupa doctors (also squares and circles). Not something that would normally appeal to people of the 25-34 year age bracket, right? Well, this exciting bold new campaign does just that, showing who Bupa are today, not just care home providers and curers of aliments but the instigators of a healthier ‘you’. Their healthy pledges are uncomplicated and simple to follow and their friendly reminder emails designed to help keep you on track, will keep the audience constantly engaged with the brand, leaving them with a warm fuzzy feeling of appreciation.
And whilst finding ‘healthy’, you can also tweet your way to fitness and help Britain “Get Fit” with GE Healthcare’s new competitive online fitness intitative. Also launched last month, by sharing your fitness news on Twitter and adding your country’s designated #GetFit_GB hashtag, you can help your country turn from a “risky red” to a “healthy green”on GE Healthcare’s fittness map. The more people tweet, the faster their country turns from red to green, and the first that suceeds in doing this first wins. Aimed at raising awareness about the role of healthy diet and regular exercise in reducing the risk of cancer, the fun colourful ‘Get Fit’ website resembles that of Nintendo Wii’s online community. Designed to create a sense of community through healthy eating and excise, the idea deserves merit. However, whether people will remember to tweet after a hot sweaty session at the gym is another issue. Mind you, people will tweet about anything these days…
So, with summer just around the corner, I’m looking forward to finding ‘healthy’ and tweeting my country to success as I update the tweet-o-sphere with my progress. According to Bupa all I need to do is exercise three times a week (manageable), eat five fruit and veg a day (done!) and drink two or less units of alcohol a day (oh-no, maybe problematic come Fridays, weekends and summer hols…).
Big sigh. Watch this space dear reader, and remember to stay healthy!
balletfanatic
15. Jul, 2011
Phew I come in three years younger than my real age
Looking at their recommendations though I love the way they are just really realistic and so I might actually achieve something towards getting healthier!
That said I’m not sure I’ll be doing much to help pull the UK from yellow to green at GE healthcare so I’ll hand that task over to everyone else
Dr Sarah
17. Sep, 2011
OK, I just tried signing up to this and was asked to give permission for BUPA to access my data at any time and post my progress to my Wall, all of which felt a bit invasive to me. Is that normal on Facebook? (I never use it if I can avoid it, so I don’t really know a lot about what passes for OK behaviour on there.) Should I just accept that and not worry about it? I do like the idea of doing the health pledges.
CuriousScientist
19. Sep, 2011
Hello Dr Sarah,
Don’t panic! In answer to your question, yes, this is normal.
Nowadays, the majority of applications on Facebook will ask to have access to your data and ask if they can post on your wall. This is a way for the app and their brand to get publicity, and further perpetuate their message through Facebook. In return for your use of their free services (in this case Bupa’s healthy pledges), you allow them to have access to your wall, your friends, and potentially a whole new group of potential users and fellow folk who may also be looking for healthy. By posting on your wall Bupa’s brand can potentially be seen by all of your friends, allowing more people to engage with them, and potentially go on use their services.
In regards to posting your progress to your wall. Simples. If you don’t want people knowing what you’re doing, you can simply delete the posts from the wall. This will allow you to continue your health pledges in private without everybody knowing your business.
Be sure to let us know how you get on and good luck in finding healthy! I’m still working at it…