Dept of the PM and Cabinet humanises science in new NZ Vaccine Facts series via Daylight Creative

With Aotearoa undergoing its first nationwide vaccination rollout in decades, the DPMC has partnered with Daylight Creative to develop a content series to unpack the dense science of the COVID-19 vaccine.

Facing significant challenges of vaccine hesitancy and misinformation, the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet urgently needed an idea that shared scientific information that empowered people to make a well-informed decision about getting the jab.

Inspired by the internationally acclaimed success of The Spinoff’s Covid-19 explainer content, Daylight Creative developed NZ Vaccine Facts – a series featuring relatable Kiwi characters explaining the dense microbiological science of the virus in a human and irreverently New Zealand way.

Says Toby Morris, group creative director: “It was a huge brief. There was a lot of very complicated information to explain to an extremely broad audience – the general public of New Zealand – particularly those who are reluctant or cautious about engaging on the topic.”

Charting eight episodes and 30 pieces of content in its entirety, Daylight worked closely with the DPMC and the Ministry of Health to refine the science topics covered to address; what a virus is, how vaccines work, why virus variants develop, and what mRNA technology means.

Scripts were brought to life by a team of science writers and creative copywriters to ensure the outputs were educational and thorough, without missing an irreverent Kiwi tone.

Adds Morris: “Character-lead animation was the perfect way to create a group of relatable, everyday characters who act and speak in a distinctly Kiwi way, using visual metaphors to explain the science.”

Chips, roadies, bridge clubs and tradies — the series featured eight characters who spanned a diverse mix of ages, genders, ethnicities and abilities, to reflect the diverse community of Aotearoa’s team of five million.

The series can be found on the Unite Against COVID-19 website and YouTube playlists.

Creative direction – Toby Morris, Ezra Whittaker
Illustration – Hope McConnell
Animation – Chris Callus
Motion graphic artist – Vania Chandrawidjaja
Editing – Joe Canham, Sophie Tse
Research & editorial – Vanessa Manhire
Copywriting – India Hendrikse, Annabel Hawkins
Campaign management – Claire Choe, Abbey Parker
Sound mixing – Big Pop Studios, Henry Beasley