Helping Connecticut families have better conversations about vaccines.

The Challenge

How do you encourage conversations around one of today's most polarizing topics without making people feel judged?

That was the challenge the Connecticut Department of Public Health brought to GO.

They weren't looking for another awareness campaign or a collection of educational videos. They wanted to reach families in a way that felt approachable, honest, and engaging. Most importantly, they wanted parents and kids to feel comfortable asking questions and having conversations with trusted healthcare providers.

That's a much harder challenge than simply sharing information. It's about building trust.

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Where We Started

Before anyone picked up a pencil or opened an animation file, we spent time thinking about the people we were trying to reach.

• What would actually get a child to pay attention?
• What would make a parent stop scrolling?
• How do you talk about something as important as vaccines without making it feel like a lecture?

The answer wasn't another list of facts. It was storytelling.

That idea became Protect Who Matters Most, a campaign built around original characters, music, and stories that make vaccine conversations feel approachable, positive, and a little more human.

Every episode was created in both English and Spanish so families across Connecticut could experience the campaign in the language they were most comfortable with.

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Four Videos That Grew Into Much More

The campaign started with four one-minute animated videos, each focused on helping families navigate vaccine conversations in a way that felt relatable instead of overwhelming.

Along the way we created original songs, custom animation, Spanish-language versions, trailers, sing-along editions, social cutdowns, and a collection of digital assets designed to help the campaign live well beyond the original launch. Then something exciting happened.

The Department of Public Health saw the potential to take the campaign even further.

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Building a Campaign Around the Characters

The videos introduced a cast of characters that people immediately connected with, so together we found ways to bring them into the real world.

Those characters became plushies that will be handed out in pediatricians' offices, coloring books kids can take home, life-sized displays for events, educational posters, table graphics, and a collection of campaign materials designed to keep the conversation going long after someone watched the videos.

By the end of the project, what started as an animation assignment had grown into a fully integrated public awareness campaign with dozens of supporting pieces. 

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Bringing It All Together

When the videos were finished, the Connecticut Department of Public Health decided they deserved more than a simple online launch. Together, we turned the release into a premiere event at the Connecticut Science Center.

Our team handled everything from event branding and invitations to stage management, signage, audio, video, photography, registration, and day-of coordination. We also designed the step and repeat, environmental graphics, and all of the supporting materials that helped bring the campaign to life. Watching families, healthcare professionals, state leaders, and our own team experience the videos together was one of those moments that reminded us why we love doing this work.

The Takeaway

This project started with four animated videos. It ended with a statewide campaign built to help families feel more comfortable asking questions, having conversations, and making informed decisions. More importantly, it showed what can happen when strategy, storytelling, design, animation, music, and event production all work together toward the same goal.

That's the kind of work we love to do.