THE JACKSON HEART STUDY
A community-based cohort study evaluating the etiology of cardiovascular, renal, and respiratory diseases among African Americans, The Jackson Heart Study counts on RED SQUARED as a key partner to help with the development of media and specialized outreach campaigns engaging with various age groups of African-American's around healthcare in Mississippi.
Brief
We’ve served as a long-time communications partner to the Jackson Heart Study, helping them build culturally relevant, health-focused campaigns for Black communities across Mississippi. From urgent COVID-19 outreach to evergreen health education, our work has spanned multiple series and has blended storytelling, design, and strategy to support JHS’s mission of improving health outcomes through connection and trust.
Results
✱ Recognized by the Biden Administration's White House Task Force for effectively increasing COVID-19 vaccination rates among Black communities.
✱ Contributed to Mississippi achieving a 49% COVID-19 vaccination rate among Black residents, surpassing the national average of 37%.
Project Scope
✱ Brand Campaign & Development
✱ Strategic Communications
✱ Content Creation
A Partnership In Progress
Our work with the Jackson Heart Study started with a few short videos aimed at connecting their research to the communities they serve. From the beginning, the focus was on trust and storytelling that felt real to Black Mississippians. That first project opened the door to a years long collaboration rooted in shared purpose.
COVID Response
At the height of the pandemic, the Jackson Heart Study turned to RED SQUARED to help address vaccine hesitancy and reach Black communities across Mississippi with timely, trustworthy messaging. We collaborated on a series of informative videos featuring local voices and medical professionals, designed to counter misinformation and build confidence through culturally grounded storytelling.
The “I Got It!” Campaign
To help increase vaccine confidence in Black communities across Mississippi, we partnered with the Jackson Heart Study to create the “I Got It!” campaign — a comprehensive statewide effort anchored by a series of video commercials featuring trusted community leaders, youth, and everyday Mississippians sharing that they ‘got it’. The campaign also included a series inspired by HBO’s The Shop called The Conversation, radio ads, a statewide TV flight schedule, billboards, digital ads, print placements, and a dedicated landing page. It became one of the most visible health outreach efforts in the state and was later recognized by the White House for its impact.
The Conversation
“The Conversation” was a centerpiece of the campaign . It was a multi-camera video series styled after HBO’s The Shop, where local leaders, healthcare professionals, and community members gathered for honest, unfiltered dialogue about COVID-19, vaccines, and trust.
" RED SQUARED has been our go to partner for years on all our content and outreach to our Black residents in Mississippi”
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
Victor Sutton, PhD, MPPA, Chief, Community Health and Clinical Services & PI, Jackson Heart Study
Know Your Number
Following the success of the “I Got It!” campaign, we continued working with the Jackson Heart Study to shift the focus from pandemic response to long-term health awareness. Know Your Number was a follow-up series encouraging Black Mississippians to track key health indicators like blood pressure and cholesterol. The videos were distributed online and across local TV stations statewide and blended practical information with approachable, community-based storytelling.
The Work Continues
Our partnership with the Jackson Heart Study has evolved into ongoing collaboration focused on long-term impact. Most recently, we created a new evergreen video highlighting their work year-round for them to use to showcase their outreach across clinics, schools, and community events. As their communications needs grow, we continue to support the work, building trust, expanding the visual library, and helping JHS stay connected to the people they serve.