Challenge:
By the middle of the 1980’s, Utah’s infant mortality rate had increased to alarming levels. Something had to be done, fast. With funding provided by a state cigarette tax hike, the Utah Department of Health improved the healthcare delivery system for pregnant women statewide. The challenge then became to inform women of the availability of these services.

Solution:
Vanguard Media Group proposed a program called Baby Your Baby which would encourage pregnant women to seek out health care. Since its launch, Baby Your Baby has maintained a prominence on television, radio, print and outdoors. The campaign’s 95 percent recognition rate in Utah is the highest of any ad campaign in the state.

The year following the beginning of the program, Utah’s infant mortality rate fell from 8.8 to 8.0 per thousand live births, the fetal death ratio fell from 7.1 to 5.2 per thousand live births, and the perinatal death rate fell from 11.3 to 9.0. From 1985 to 1989, the percentage of low birth-weight babies fell from 14 to 8.7 percent.

Baby Your Baby has received numerous awards for its innovative and effective approach. Over the years, the campaign has evolved to highlighted different aspects of pregnancy, but has never lost its focus of encouraging early, regular prenatal and early-childhood care.