COVID Alert App Campaign – Post ACET Executive Summary

Prepared for Health Canada
Supplier name: Kantar
Contract number: HT372-203354/001/CY
Contract value: $59,312.29
Award date: September 24, 2020
Delivery date: March 26, 2021

Registration number: POR 039-20

For more information on this report, please email HC.cpab.por-rop@dgcap.SC@canada.ca

Ce rapport est aussi disponible en français.

COVID ALERT APP CAMPAIGN – POST ACET

Prepared for Health Canada

Supplier name:  Kantar

March 2021

Health Canada commissioned Kantar to conduct a public opinion research survey to evaluate the advertising components of the COVID Alert App Campaign.

Cette publication est aussi disponible en français sous le titre: Évaluation de la campagne publicitaire de l'application Alerte COVID - Post OECP

Permission to Reproduce

This publication may be reproduced for non-commercial purposes only. Prior written permission must be obtained from Health Canada. For more information on this report, please contact HC.cpab.por-rop@dgcap.SC@canada.ca:

Catalogue Number: H14-358/2021E-PDF
International Standard Book Number (ISBN): 978-0-660-37644-8

Related publications (registration number: POR 039-20): Évaluation de la campagne publicitaire de l'application Alerte COVID - Post OECP
Catalogue Number: H14-358/2021F-PDF
ISBN Number: 978-0-660-37645-5

©Her Majesty the Queen in Right of Canada, as represented by the Department of Health, 2021

1. Executive Summary

1.1 Research Purpose and Objectives

1.1.1. Campaign Objectives

Part of Canada's national response to the COVID-19 pandemic included the launch of a new nation-wide mobile COVID alert app, which was made available as a free download for Canadians on July 31, 2020. This important initiative assists in the public health effort to limit the spread of COVID-19 and isolate those with possible exposure more quickly through the issuance of unique, one-time-key (OTK) codes to people who test positive for COVID-19.

To encourage uptake of the COVID Alert app among Canadians and limit the spread of COVID-19, Health Canada developed the COVID Alert App Campaign. The campaign also informs Canadians about the importance of inputting their own OTK code if they test positive for COVID-19.

As each province and territory launched the app, a geo-targeted campaign was deployed to announce the app's launch and to encourage Canadians to download it. The first ad campaign launched in Ontario on July 31, 2020 and was subsequently launched in other provinces and territories. Each advertising flight lasted for six weeks, with the exception of a nine-week flight in Quebec, and a two-week flight in the Northwest Territories. Second advertising flights were launched in Ontario and New Brunswick when case counts increased.

Once most provinces and territories onboarded the app, the geo-targeted campaign was replaced by a national COVID Alert campaign in December 2020. The national campaign aimed to inform Canadians about the existence of the COVID Alert app and explain how the app is integral in breaking the chain of infections. As such, Health Canada needed to conduct a survey towards the end of the geo-targeting campaign and national campaigns to evaluate the advertising components of the COVID Alert App Campaign.

1.1.2 Research Objectives

The research was designed to address the following objectives:

• Determine if the target audience recalled campaign advertisements
• Determine where the ads have been seen
• Determine recall of key messages of the campaign
• Measure recall of national and provincial campaign elements
• Determine awareness of who was responsible for creating the ads
• Identify attitudinal changes as a result of the advertising campaign
• Identify if the ads compelled behavioural change, including whether viewers sought more information about the app or downloaded the app
• Evaluate the advertising components of the COVID Alert App National and Provincial Campaigns.

1.2 Summary of Methodology

1.2.1 Survey

An online survey was conducted among 2,000 Canadians, aged 18 years and older, 90% of whom owned next generation smartphones (iOS 13.5 and newer or Android 6.0 and newer).

Part one of the questionnaire included the National campaign and was shown to respondents across all provinces. Part two of the questionnaire included Provincial campaign materials and was shown to Ontario, New Brunswick, and Quebec, respondents only. The overall average survey length was 13 minutes.

A pre-test consisting of 10 completed English interviews and 10 completed French interviews was undertaken on January 19, 2021. No changes were made to the questionnaire. As a result, these interviews included in the final data set. The survey was in field from January 20 to February 4, 2021.

1.2.2 Sampling

A nationally representative sample of Canadians aged 18 years and older was drawn to achieve 2,000 completions. The sample was regionally stratified to ensure the following regional quotas were met.

All sample was obtained from Kantar's proprietary online panel. Respondents for this survey were selected from among those who have registered to participate on the panel and as such is a non-probability sample. The results of such surveys cannot be described as statistically projectable to the target population.

1.2.3 Weighting

Weighting adjustments (age, gender and region) were applied to the final edited, clean data to ensure that the data were representative of the population of Canada based on the 2016 Census.

1.2.4 Non-response Bias

As this survey was conducted online using a panel, margin of error cannot be calculated as it is non-probability sample.

1.2.5 Completion Rate

The overall completion rate achieved for the survey was 8.10%.

1.3 Contract Value

The total contract value for the project was $59,312.29 including applicable taxes.

1.4 Statement of Political Neutrality

I hereby certify as a representative of Kantar that the deliverables fully comply with the Government of Canada political neutrality requirements outlined in the Communications Policy of the Government of Canada and Procedures for Planning and Contracting Public Opinion Research. Specifically, the deliverables do not include information on electoral voting intentions, political party preferences, standings with the electorate or ratings of the performance of a political party or its leaders.

Tanya Whitehead
Kantar
Senior Director, Public Practice Leader