RICHMOND, Va. -- Citing misinformation and distrust among Virginia's most vulnerable communities, the Virginia Department of Health hired a strategic marketing and PR agency to motivate Virginians to adopt behaviors that will contain the spread of COVID-19.
According to the contract, VDH is spending $1,500,000 between October 7th and December 31st on a communications campaign aimed at "young adults and families in Southwest Virginia, and other areas of the state as the budget allows."
The contract provides $650,000 for multiple TV, radio, print and digital ads in the Roanoke/Lynchburg, Bluefield, and Tri-Cities DMAs.
VDH will pay VANCE, which is a PR agency in Richmond, $170,000 to facilitate the communications plan.
Through the contract, VDH hopes to "inform residents about resources available for exposure notification, self-screening and testing, and measures to take to keep the virus from spreading."
The full contract can be found here.
