2020 Census

Ensuring hard-to-count populations in Orange County were counted in the 2020 Census, with an emphasis on those with language barriers, low literacy, lack of internet access, being suspicious of the government, and experiencing homelessness.

community outreach | integrated marketing | public relations | video production

THE CHALLENGE

The County of Orange 2020 Census Campaign aimed to count every person living in the county as part of the national Census that occurs every 10 years, with a special emphasis on reaching hard-to-count (HTC) populations. Several factors made reaching HTC populations a challenge, including language barriers, low literacy, lack of internet access, being suspicious of the government, and being difficult to contact (e.g., people experiencing homelessness).

THE RESULTS

In two months, we built all the infrastructure for effective outreach across in 12 languages; created a “remote community outreach program” that leaned heavily on precision digital marketing and OOH (out-of-home) advertising; developed culturally appropriate social media content, public service announcements (PSAs), collateral (fact sheets, mailers, doorhangers, etc.), advertisements (online, print, broadcast, outdoor), and more; and conducted COVID-19 friendly community-based activations and events, including aerial flyovers and a Census vehicle parade.