VicHealth is inviting Victorian councils to promote the H30 Challenge campaign in their local area.
Promote the H30 Challenge in your community
VicHealth will provide funding for councils to promote the campaign, encouraging residents to sign up and switch their sugary drinks for water for 30 days.
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.
- 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
- Campaign style guide and logo files
- Stakeholder toolkit including key messages
- Amendable poster templates
- Media release template
What’s required
- 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 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
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.
Assessment of applications
- Ability to deliver on marketing objectives
- Reach to target audience
- Value for money
- Capacity and ability to deliver proposed activities within specified timeframes
Key timelines
Activity | Key dates |
Applications open | 29 February 2016 |
Applications close | 3pm, Friday 18 March 2016 |
Successful applicants notified | Friday 1 April 2016 |
Planning and preparation for local marketing activities | 4 – 15 April 2016 |
Local marketing activities delivered | 18 April – 31 May 2016 |
Final report due to VicHealth | Friday 10 June 2016 |
How to apply
Applications are now closed.
For enquiries, please contact: Kellye Hartman Senior Campaigns Advisor [email protected] 03 9667 1366