Activate Omaha! Kicks Off an Eight Week Campaign to Get People Moving in Omaha

Physical activity has a reputation as being difficult and time consuming, two barriers that regularly prevent people from getting the recommended amount of activity into their daily routine. Active Omaha, with a communications grant from Alegent Community Benefit Trust Fund, has created a campaign to reframe physical activity as something anyone can do at anytime. Posters, billboards, TV and radio spots and a fresh interactive website are branding and promoting physical activity as fun and easy in Omaha.

This campaign has positioned Active Omaha as the local expert and resource for physical activity in Omaha. Their logo is a regionally recognized symbol for physical activity and is becoming the 'good housekeeping seal of approval' on local activities. They worked with their Active Living by Design partnership and several communication companies to develop this campaign with the support of the Alegent grant. This partnership has created an innovative and distinctive campaign that is also establishing Active Omaha as the local resource for all things active.

The "Moving Day" kick off was held May 24, 2005 with a ribbon cutting and walk along the riverfront. Over 300 people attended with representation from walkers, bicyclists, elementary students, gardeners, Boys and Girls Club, health systems, and the Omaha Chamber of Commerce. After the walk, the Mayor and CEOs from the Chamber, BCBS, and Alegent Health all spoke about why being active is "good for business"

Already several weeks into the campaign, over 20 local organizations have turned to the Active Omaha website to promote their activities. The partnership developed a survey of Douglas County residents and worked with several focus groups to craft physical activity messages. The four best-tested messages were turned over to the communication companies to create the campaign. The main message is 'Daily physical activity is not only important for health, but also fun and doable.' In addition, the focus groups indicated which venues would best support the campaign. Once the campaign was developed, Activate Omaha turned to the focus groups to review and tweak the final product.

The campaign and kick off have received extensive local coverage and some regional and national recognition. Activate Omaha intends to complete a post-campaign survey to compliment the market pre-survey to track changes in awareness and measure the campaign's impact on physical activity in Omaha.

Resources

Activate Omaha! Website

Campaign in the News (registration required)