Little Things make big difference to help beat Covid and flu blues this winter

Department of Customer Service

As national audiences tune into the first State of Origin game for the 2022 series this evening, NSW will be reminded to think about the “Little Things” they can do to help beat the flu and COVID-19 blues as we head into winter.

Deputy Secretary, Customer Delivery and Transformation William Murphy said Little Things was the latest in a series of major awareness campaigns delivered by the NSW Government to encourage people to continue safe behaviours to help minimise transmission and severe disease from COVID-19 and flu.

“People tend to spend more time indoors during winter, which increases the risk of catching viral illnesses. This is a concern as COVID-19 cases remain high across the State and the flu continues to have an impact on all age groups,” Mr Murphy said.

“The Little Things campaign reminds everyone that small actions can make a big difference to the health of others, such as wearing a mask in crowded places, staying home when they feel unwell, getting together where there’s fresh air and keeping up to date with both COVID-19 and flu vaccinations.

“The people of NSW have done an incredible job staying COVID safe throughout the pandemic and by maintaining these habits, we can help protect ourselves and our communities this winter.

“While we know it may be all about the Blues tonight, when people see our Little Things partnerships with Former NSW Sharks Captain and Blues player Paul Gallen and Former NRL female athlete Ruan Sims on Channel 9 we want them to take a moment to remember the little ways to stay COVID safe in the cooler months.”

The Little Things campaign will also launch commercials in July with Olympic skateboarder Poppy Olsen and musician Alex the Astronaut on Channel 7, and NRL Sharks Captain Wade Graham, radio presenter Linda Marigliano on Southern Cross Austero in June.

“The NSW Government is committed to communication with grassroots outreach, there’s no denying people want to hear from familiar voices,” Mr Murphy said.

“Partnering with so many great spokespeople and tailoring the content across various channels helps to get the message out to different communities.

“When people hear the message from someone they follow, they are more likely to engage and to listen to their advice.”

The campaign also has a digital focus to appeal to younger audiences and includes advertising across social media platforms Meta, TikTok, Snapchat and Twitch as well as radio and digital audio, outdoor advertising and media partnerships.

Little Things has also been tailored for culturally and linguistically diverse audiences in 22 languages and will run alongside a bespoke campaign for Aboriginal audiences.

The campaign focuses on 16- to 39-year-olds as only 49 per cent have had a COVID-19 booster vaccine and are also less likely than other age groups to practise safe behaviours.

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/Public Release.