In the dynamic healthcare landscape, initiatives like Farm to You stand as beacons of innovation and hope. As a “food is medicine” program under WVU Medicine, Farm to You embodies a holistic approach to wellness, recognizing the profound connection between nutrition education and improved health. Our partnership sought to develop communication strategies that elevate community and patient engagement, expanding the program’s outreach efforts and improving the health of West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle.

Background

Established in 2018, the Farm to You program focuses on improving the culinary and nutritional education of low-income individuals with chronic nutrition-related conditions living in West Virginia’s Eastern Panhandle. The program provides participants access to fresh, local produce and the proper knowledge necessary to enjoy it. Supported by a $500,000 USDA-NIFA Grant, the Farm to You program aims to provide insight into long-term behavioral change in the community that is powered by nutritional education and access to free produce. 

Research for the campaign began in January of 2024. It revealed insights into effective strategies comparable programs utilize and explored innovative approaches to engage and communicate with the audience across various media platforms. Through harnessing these insights, the team was able to develop a compelling strategic communications campaign that encourages community participation and advocates for and educates about the benefits of healthier living, improving the program’s overall efficacy.

Key Research Findings

The Farm to You account team embarked on a comprehensive research journey to explore effective engagement strategies employed by similar “food is medicine” initiatives, healthy meal plans, and influential food bloggers. Through primary research efforts, including content analysis and direct engagement with other programs, the team gained valuable insights into the efficacy of various approaches from other comparable programs.

• Collaborations with other local organizations can improve personal wellness and confidence in nutrition discussions.
• Community involvement benefits the program and enhances the well-being of the target audience through learning opportunities and positive changes.
• Social media platforms like Facebook offer valuable opportunities for Farm to You to engage with its audience and foster community interaction.
• Providing recipe and nutritional information has been shown to impact consumer behavior and dietary choices positively.
• Offering up-to-date information, sharing nutritional tips, and posting recipes are effective digital content strategies for health-oriented initiatives.

The Charge

Farm to You aims to help people understand why and how food choices impact their health and overall well-being. To do this effectively, the team determined it was vital to provide clear instructions on what to eat as well as the rationale for why those choices matter.

Target Audiences

The team conducted audience segmentation research to identify three target audience personas that align with the efforts of this campaign. The first two audiences that Farm to You targets is patients who are suffering from a nutritional-based disease. Usually, these patients need to improve their health and want to commit to the program. For current patients, the trigger point is the diagnosis of a health issue that can be improved with a better diet. The following highlights these two patient personas.  

The third group of people that Farm To You aims to reach are possible volunteers and campus representatives who might be interested in the program and getting more involved with this initiative.

The Message

Farm To You is a transformative resource in the supportive community, emphasizing healthier lifestyles and managing chronic disease by creating access to free, accessible produce and nutritional resources for patients and community members. By focusing on the reality that “Food is Medicine,” campaign deliverables can help our client achieve their goal.

The Deliverables

While many clients come to MHA with the hopes that we’ll manage all their campaign needs, Farm to You wanted an inventory of resources to help them continue to build community during their busy seasons.  For this reason, we provided more than three months of digital content, collateral material designs, and much more.  Read on to learn more.

Social Media

Recognizing how many social media-based health campaigns aren’t very good at retaining attention – especially with the rise of diet culture, we are oversaturated with health content. Most of that content is boring, and people swipe without reading or listening.

To support our client’s work, three months of content were produced for social media posting and a content calendar was created to make it easy for our busy client to stay on track.  While some content provided clever use of language, others portrayed seasonal veggies with their benefits and recipes.  Farmer highlight stories were also included to increase community awareness. 

E-Newsletters

The account team also developed E-Newsletter templates for the next few months. Using Mailchimp, these newsletters will be sent out for this summer. Each e-newsletter features a wide array of seasonal recipe spotlights, fun facts, seasonal produce, tips and tricks, announcements, and more.

Cookbook

Print collateral materials play a pivotal role in fostering and sustaining good health. They serve as physical reminders and valuable aids in promoting healthy lifestyles and habits. Unlike digital content, physical resources have a persistent presence in our daily lives, offering gentle nudges and reinforcing positive behaviors. Unlike conventional cookbooks, this book is tailored specifically to using fresh produce for health management, serving as a personalized prescription for well-being. Physical copies of this book may be distributed for sale at participating Farm to You clinic locations and program events. Distributing this in the form of an eBook through the program website allows for an expanded reach and lower production costs.

AI-Generated QR Codes

These interactive stickers, strategically placed on the corresponding produced handed out at Farm to You events or distributed at local farmers markets, serve as gateways to the collection of nutritious recipes on the website.  With a simple scan using a smartphone or tablet, users are transported to a program approved recipe.

Swap Cards

These informative cards serve as valuable resources for individuals seeking to make mindful dietary choices. Designed to educate and empower, each card offers practical tips and easy-

to-implement swaps to help individuals reduce sodium intake, incorporate healthier fats, and manage carbohydrate consumption. When included in produce bags during patient pickup events, they provide a tangible takeaway reinforcing the connection between Farm to You’s

Media Relations

To gather earned media attention, the team created a media kit to inform local journalists of the newsworthy information and events. The team developed an updated fact sheet, a media advisory and two press releases. The fact sheet was reformatted for stylistic purposes, and the media advisory invited the media to cover the freshly debuted mobile teaching kitchen events.