In early March 2020, members of the MIT Media Lab, public health experts, and McKinsey came together to find a way to use social media to communicate essential and rapidly evolving scientific knowledge about COVID-19. The #BeatTheVirus campaign was born from their efforts. On the McKinsey side, Marketing & Sales-focused engagement manager, Anna, was tapped to run the team. We sat down with her to learn more about the experience:
How did you get involved in #BeatTheVirus?
It was very serendipitous. I planned some time off that I cancelled because of the escalating COVID-19 situation in the US and abroad and that freed me up to join the #BeatTheVirus team at the right moment.
I think everybody wants to help somehow, and I was excited to contribute using the skills and knowledge I’d built serving clients as a member of McKinsey’s Marketing & Sales practice. I’ve connected with tons of passionate folks across different organizations to spread accurate public health information to communities not otherwise receiving it. Given the nature of this project and how it revolves around public health, the team has been flexible and generous with their time. We’ve all made ourselves available to rapidly adapt the campaign in response to new scientific findings or public health shifts. It has been inspiring to see so many different people come together.
Tell us more about your team. Who’s on it?
Several of us are affiliated with the Marketing & Sales practice including one of the partners leading the work, Clay; a business analyst from San Francisco named Chetan; and Rob, an associate in New York. We bring experience in digital marketing. Then, there’s Jonathan, a partner who had a relationship with the MIT Media Lab. We also have Carolina, an associate from New Jersey, who brings the healthcare experience. We’ve pulled in McKinsey experts and partners from other organizations who are donating their time and resources to support this effort.
What’s your role on the team?
I am the engagement manager on the study, which means I coordinate different areas of work and responsibilities across several agile teams. I steer the ship and keep different pieces moving in line with the #BeatTheVirus mission—from launching the social media campaign to establishing a longer-term public health communications network.
Early on, I outlined workstreams and matched teammates to them. They evolved a lot in the first few weeks, and now center on public health, creative/campaign, distribution, and data analytics. We’ve been operating like a startup and pitch in with each other’s work as needed.
What have been some of the highlights and challenges so far?
Launching the social media campaign with support from celebrities and public figures like Justin Bieber, Jennifer Lopez, and Demi Lovato, among others, was really special. We’re lucky to have some team members with longstanding relationships with the major talent agencies.
Ensuring the information they share is correct and relevant has been one of the biggest challenges and responsibilities. Thankfully, we have amazing public health experts helping to source the right scientific information.
What’s next?
In the longer term, our mission is to build a public health communication system that can be adapted to future situations, beyond COVID-19. On that front, we’re developing a coalition of top public health experts, universities, media companies, and more. The Laboratory for Social Machines at the MIT Media Lab is developing proprietary advanced analytics capabilities that power the network and support ultra-targeted communications.
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