VicHealth H30 Challenge marketing grants for councils

The H30 Challenge marketing grants will provide councils with $5,000-$10,000 (ex. GST).

Funded councils will be required to deliver local marketing activities in order to:

• Deliver 100 new local sign ups to the H30 Challenge
• Increase visits to the H30 Challenge website by local residents
• Increase the reach of the H30 Challenge campaign to the community, with a focus on the campaign target audience

About the H30 Challenge campaign

VicHealth’s H30 Challenge asks Victorians to switch sugary drinks for water for 30 days.

The H30 Challenge Campaign aims to increase positive attitudes towards choosing water over sugary drinks, and increase the knowledge of the benefits of switching to water through a positively framed and empowering approach, with individuals urged to sign up to a challenge to switch sugary drinks for water for 30 days.

Sugary drinks include sugar-sweetened soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, sports drinks (including sports water), ready-to-drink iced tea, flavoured water and cordial. The aim of the challenge is to help Victorians establish healthier habits, with water becoming the main choice of beverage in the long-term.

The 2014-15 campaign exceeded initial expectations, with over 5,500 people taking part in the H30 Challenge. The 2015-16 campaign was launched in late 2015 and will continue until mid-2016.

The problem with sugary drinks

Sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the largest source of sugars in the Australian diet and high intake of these sugary drinks are associated with poorer health outcomes, such as increased risk of weight gain and increased risk of tooth decay. Obesity contributes around 8 percent of the total burden of disease in Victoria, almost on par with tobacco use. With nearly two-thirds of Victorians currently overweight or obese, reducing intake of excess kilojoules through drinks is one way to promote a healthier diet and improved health.

H30 Challenge campaign target audience

While VicHealth encourages all Victorians to drink more water and fewer sugary drinks, the H30 Challenge campaign has a particular focus on the highest consumers of SSBs, specifically:

• Primary audience: Victorians aged 25-34 with a skew towards men and lower socio-economic status groups
• Secondary audience: Victorians aged 18-24 with a skew toward lower socioeconomic status groups

H30 Challenge campaign timings

While individuals can sign up to the H30 Challenge at any time, our main campaign activity runs in the first quarter (January-May 2016). Activity is focused during the warmer months, when individuals are more likely to be conscious of their hydration needs, and more likely to be making ‘a fresh start’ for the New Year.

Support for participants

The H30 Challenge website allows participants to sign up, track their progress throughout the challenge, and find all the information they need about sugary drinks and water consumption. The website contains a personalised dashboard, which calculates the amount of sugar, kilojoules and money each participant has saved. The website also allows people to create teams to participate with friends, club members or colleagues.

Participants receive personalised emails twice a week, with updates on their progress and tips and news to keep them on track.

The opportunity for local councils

Local councils are in a strong position to promote healthy eating and deliver tailored, local marketing activities to engage their community. The H30 Challenge campaign can support council work in promoting healthy eating and better health outcomes for residents.

The learnings from this marketing program will inform VicHealth’s campaign plans for 2017 and beyond.

What’s on offer

All Victorian councils are invited to apply for the H30 Challenge marketing grants (excluding those councils already contracted by VicHealth to deliver activities in this space).
Funding of $5,000-$10,000 (ex. GST) is available to councils for the delivery of local marketing activities.

The funding is provided to cover the marketing expenses and staffing costs incurred by the council to deliver local marketing activities, for example:

• Production of customised creative/artwork for flyers, posters, signage and other collateral
• Production of incentives such as water bottles
• Reimbursement of staff hours
• Event sponsorship fees
• Appropriate prizes or incentives for competitions

VicHealth will provide funded councils with the following materials to support local marketing activities:

• Campaign style guide and logo files
• Stakeholder toolkit including key messages
• Amendable poster templates
• Media release template

To be eligible for funding, councils will be required to complete an application form outlining their local context and proposed marketing strategy, activities, budget and timelines.

Proposals will need to demonstrate the council’s ability and plans to deliver on the following marketing objectives:

• Deliver a minimum of 100 new local sign ups to the H30 Challenge by promoting the campaign in the area
• Increase visits to the H30 Challenge website by local residents
• Increase the reach of the H30 Challenge campaign to the community, with a focus on the campaign target audience

Local marketing activities may include:

• Local media and PR activities
• Direct liaison with community groups, sports clubs and leisure facilities
• Promotions vis local traders or employers groups
• Community events
• Local advertising opportunities
• Leveraging existing council networks and communications channels

Once approved, funded councils will be required to deliver their marketing activities and achieve the grant objectives by 31 May, 2016.

Councils will be required to submit a report to VicHealth in June 2016. The final report will include an evaluation of activities delivered including reach and engagement of marketing activities, what worked well and what didn’t happen as planned, and a basic funding acquittal.

Note that funded councils will be provided with a unique URL which can be used across all marketing activities, and will allow web traffic and registrations to be tracked.

Council applications will be assessed based on:

• Ability to deliver on marketing objectives
• Reach to target audience
• Value for money
• Capacity and ability to deliver proposed activities within specified timeframes

Available funds will be allocated to applicants that satisfy the grant criteria, with strongest applications prioritised.