University of Arizona Covid Watch App

CHALLENGE

With the return of students to the University of Arizona’s campus in the fall of 2020, keeping Coronavirus transmissions at bay was a top priority. To do so, the University of Arizona partnered with WeHealth to create the Covid Watch app. The app tracks Coronavirus rates on campus by monitoring users’ distance to one another by geo-tracking. App users who have tested positive for COVID-19 can signal their positive status into the app, anonymously notifying any users who were near the infected user during the virus’s incubation time.

However, the most significant challenge for the University of Arizona and the Covid Watch app was getting enough students to download the app so it would work effectively.

MY ROLE

As an intern with the Convince & Convert team, I helped research effective marketing strategies, approve app graphics, and create informative content around the Covid Watch app. In researching marketing strategies for college students, I analyzed best practices for platforms like Tiktok, Instagram, and Twitter to identify which channels would be the most relevant to the audience. I also researched different content formats and their conversion rates among different demographics. I additionally assisted with approving graphics for use across the Covid Watch social media campaign. In each graphic, I helped in considering which would most garner the attention of college students and encourage reposts from viewer’s social media accounts. Lastly, I helped establish a Q&A Instagram session that allowed students to ask questions about the Covid Watch app and how it works in real-time.