Fundamentals of Public Communication Campaigns

CHAPTER 7 Public Communication Campaigns during the COVID-19 Pandemic

In early 2020, the fight against COVID-19 became a major concern for all affected nations worldwide. Traditionally, governments are seen as the main custodians of “crisismanship” (i.e., leadership, direction, and operations).¹ They use large-scale communication campaigns to influence the actions and behaviors of their populations when the risk continually grows. Communicating with such populations is a fundamental part of pandemic preparation and response. Based on the pandemic communication strategies and proposals provided by numerous sources from the past, three core messages directed at the public are the most common: (1) Promoting individual- and society-level infection control behaviors, (2) championing trust in government agencies and adherence to their directives, and (3) constantly keeping informed about expert, scientific, and medical knowledge.²

Our planet is more exposed to pandemics than ever before because of the fast-growing population, more opportunities for travel around the world, and large influxes of immigrants and refugees. The COVID-19 virus has been the most salient and widespread pandemic that we have faced since the dawn of the twenty-first century. A combination of the Greek words pan and demos, a pandemic is a global epidemic that can affect all (pan) people (demos) on the globe or, at least, across large regions. According to the World Health Organization, a pandemic spreads when ...