Want to convert awareness of health issues into meaningful action? We can help.
Hello! We’re Dinosaur, a Manchester-based communications agency.
We've partnered with the NHS on a range of campaigns that have got people reappraising, discussing, checking, quitting, avoiding and more.
Enjoy the snapshot of our work for NHS below and please get in touch here.
Our services include strategic planning, creative ideas, awareness and activation campaigns, branding and visual identities, content creation, film, social media and more.
Areas where we can help you drive change:
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The challenge
When looking to have a significant impact on smoking quit rates, success only ignites when you can convince heavy smokers who are heavily dependent on tobacco to quit. But smoking campaigns just don’t seem to cut it with this audience – they’ll do anything to rationalise their addiction, even in the face of the most gruesome images or most irrefutable data.
The rigour
Confidence in the NHS had dropped significantly since the rallying support shown during the pandemic, and all parts of the healthcare system faced increased pressure during the winter months. Overcrowded A&E departments and GP surgeries, with people who could perhaps have used different services, meant delays for those who really needed urgent care and attention. The NHS was adapting to support its patients, but how could we get people to be part of these changes and not push against them?
The leap
A deliberately heart-wrenching, impossible to ignore campaign, that confronts them with the stark reality of their own mortality. We hero the devastating effect their smoking will have on them and the people they love. This, combined with new stats relating to dying too soon, and a deadly serious tone of voice, leaves them in no doubt that smoking will see them miss out on the things they value most in life. The TV campaign is supported by OOH, social, radio, PR and ambient.
The impact
5.1 million impressions for social and YouTube.
Reached a further 3 million adults via linear TV.
35-44’s most engaged in social yet, all age groups delivered strong click through rate.
21.2k clicks on the app link (far exceeding the 4.5k forecast).
Get to know where to go
The leap
Bold, illustrated ‘condition-couplets’ and strong directional arrows re-enforced it as a campaign about informed decision-making. Running across OOH, PR, online and in health centres, Get to Know Where to Go helped people to use the right services, for the right reason, at the right time across hospitals and A&E, GPs, out of hours GPs, dentists, pharmacists and self-care.
The rigour
The vast majority of people don’t use health services wrongly because they’re malicious or want to cause problems, they do it because they’re worried and don’t always know which service to choose in the moment of need. People don’t want choice, they need help making better decisions.
The challenge
Confidence in the NHS had dropped significantly since the rallying support shown during the pandemic, and all parts of the healthcare system faced increased pressure during the winter months. Overcrowded A&E departments and GP surgeries, with people who could perhaps have used different services, meant delays for those who really needed urgent care and attention. The NHS was adapting to support its patients, but how could we get people to be part of these changes and not push against them?
The impact
Over 25 million Impacts across the full campaign.
Best in class use of paid social, digital display, radio and smart digital out-of-home.
17.8% Ad recall rate (Vs 10-12% target).
Paid social outperformed across all benchmark metrics.
Look and see after every pee
The rigour
We looked at campaigns for cancer screening, on social platforms for consumer responses to them, and dug deep to understand the barriers to testing. We found consumers were overwhelmed by the sheer weight of content and confused by some of the medical language used in campaigns. This forced people back into their shells and prevented them from engaging or checking for the vital signs of cancer.
The challenge
Haematuria is a condition most people won’t have heard of. By asking people to check for signs of blood in their urine, the danger was that this could become yet another campaign asking people to confront the spectre of cancer and sign up for more uncomfortable checks.
The leap
Let’s avoid “cancer” in every headline and steer clear of overly medical language and visual imagery. Let’s not even use the correct dictionary definition for going to the toilet; people don’t talk about urinating, they talk about peeing. And they do it every day. So, simple yet impactful imagery, everyday language and simple calls to action were designed to cut through the clutter and resistance and encourage people to undertake one very simple act – look and see after every pee.
The impact
Coming soon
This van can...
The impact
27 pieces of national and regional media coverage including Channel 4’s Steph’s Packed Lunch, Talk Sport and Legacy FM and BBC Radio Manchester.
10,000 visits to the webpage and over 4,000,000 social media impressions.
781 clinic appointments offered across six-month campaign.
630 attended appointments resulted in 550 PSA blood tests from at risk individuals.
Overall prostate cancer found in just under 3% of patients – higher than other comparable series.
It's your call
The leap
Our campaign led with thought-provoking statistics yet, remained decidedly optimistic – it was less about fear and more about the freedom from it. The empowering thought at the heart of the idea was “This Van Can” and we used a bold and uplifting visual identity, which featured real people who’d experienced prostate cancer first-hand, without any of the medical and clinical imagery which might reinforce fears rather than alleviate them.
The rigour
Our research found that black men may have avoided testing for a range of reasons, from embarrassment to fears around invasive treatment, but also owing to a sense that the NHS doesn’t represent them or their communities well. We needed to challenge these barriers and convince black men that the van represented a space where they’d be listened to and feel at ease.
The challenge
Black men over the age of 45 are more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer than the national average but not enough were getting checked out early enough. The NHS wanted a campaign to raise awareness of this increased risk of prostate cancer; the focal point of which would be a mobile van touring local communities, offering advice and blood tests. We needed to drive visibility and awareness with a view to generating pre-booked visits and on-the-day drop-ins.
The challenge
At the best of times, teenagers don’t find it easy to talk about their mental health. And, since the pandemic, there are more young people struggling than ever. NHS Pennine Care has a 24/7 mental health helpline that teenagers can call anytime, but they don’t know it exists. So, how could we increase awareness?
The rigour
Even if teenagers had heard of it, they suspected an NHS helpline would be too busy to truly listen and ‘they’d probably just tell me to go for a walk’. To them, it was more noise in a noisy world. So, what if we made this a lot less like a typical state message and something much more on their wavelength?
The leap
Enter Cloud Girl, Battery Boy and Flower Girl, who helped teenagers to stop scrolling TikTok and take a moment to focus on themselves. Just like you can when you talk to Pennine Care. No pressure, no preconceptions – it’s your call.
That's sun smart
The challenge
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the UK, and getting sunburn increases your risk of it. Yet not enough people take the simple steps to reduce their chances of getting skin cancer, staying safe in the sun - or know the signs of it they need to watch out for.
The rigour
We reviewed best practice learnings to identify what messages the campaign needed to land and how to make it easy for people to become sun smart.
The leap
A social only campaign educating the audience on how to apply suncream, places you can get sunburnt and skin issues that could be cancer to look out for. We used simple language in bold and bright designs, with the strapline ‘now that’s sun smart’ on every asset.
The impact
Excellent levels of engagement both in person and via social media for modest campaign spend.
179,983 Facebook impressions with 150,259 thru plays (video watched 15 seconds or more).
Over 80 partners and users posting #GMSunSmart across twitter and insta with over 550 engagements.
Creative assets designed to allow this work to continue for a relatively low cost in coming years.
Only standout ideas boost the fortunes of your organisation. Joyous, daring, charming or heartbreaking, Dinosaur make ideas that are impossible to ignore.
We’re a creative agency building value for some of the nation’s favourite brands for over 25 years.
By digging deep into complex issues, we identify genuine insights that have the power to drive sustained behavioural change.
Our impossible to ignore creative cuts through the noise, demanding people’s attention.
We’ve been working with NHS since 2020 and are part of the NHS purchasing framework, with a services agreement in place.
How Dinosaur work with you
The impact
Campaign outperformed targets by 43%.
Over 1.5m impressions on TikTok for a relatively small spend.
Teenagers are click averse, so overall Cost Per Click of £0.91 was strong.
Testimonials
Dinosaur are a standout creative agency and they’re very much an extension of our team. Their work is rooted in strategy and insight, is creatively memorable and above all it delivers real results and change.
Jessica Holloway
Senior Communications and Engagement Manager - Population Health Transformation
NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care
Dinosaur are experts in strategy, research and big creative concepts. We have worked with them for the last five years and I’m always impressed with the output, attention to detail, strong collaboration with our PR and media agencies, and how enjoyable they are to work with. They work hard to understand our objectives and local population and are passionate about working with us to improve public health outcomes. Driven by insight, their creative ideas are fresh and impactful.
Samantha Neville
Communications & Engagement Manager
(Population Health)
NHS Greater Manchester