• by Holly Pavlika , Columnist, April 20, 2012

April 21-28 is World Immunization Week, and it marks the official launch of the United Nations Foundation’s Shot@Life campaign. 

But for months leading up to this, in small towns and cities across America, 50 women and moms have been in a closed Facebook group to prepare for the campaign, share their ideas and plan grassroots initiatives. 

Who are they? These women were hand-selected by the United Nations Foundation to serve as Shot@Life Champions and to raise awareness about childhood vaccinations. These are also women that marketers should get to know, for they are social media pioneers in their own right. 

“Our Champions are the true leaders of the Shot@Life movement,” said Devi Ramachandran Thomas, director of the Shot@Life campaign. “They are teachers, advocates, fundraisers, pediatricians and powerful online voices who have resolved to take this issue to their networks and elected officials. They were selected hand-in-hand with our partner organizations for their commitment to global health and service.”
Their efforts shed light on the power of moms and women, and their ideas and convictions. 

On behalf of World Immunization Week, women have been hosting Twitter parties, virtual birthday parties and themed parties (like a Shot@Life Oscar party). They’re writing blog posts, uploading content to their Facebook pages, spreading the word, and connecting other moms to the cause. They are not only using social media channels, but have taken the campaign offline and into their local communities: engaging in book clubs, faith-based groups, PTAs, classroom discussions and gatherings in their homes to raise awareness. They’ve put up informational tables at the local farmer’s market. They’ve worked with local Girl Scout troops to get letters written to Congress…and even visited their local Congressmen/women themselves. They are tirelessly advocating, promoting, and fundraising.

This week, there will be a blog carnival, a favorite tactic of social media moms/women for crowdsourcing blogs around a singular topic. Celebrities, moms, champions, and supporters will be uploading 15-second videos using Tout, a free social app that aggregates what we call “snackable” content in real time. 

If you’ve never worked with socially savvy moms, you’ll be blown away by their connectedness. These women are often the local celebrities in the eyes of local press. Their messages get amplified, and they have the power to drive real change though online and offline influence. 

And if you do want to reach them, make sure your social campaign is as intelligently conceived and executed as their initiatives are.