When NHS Somerset needed to talk to 18–25-year-old men about the HPV vaccine, they didn’t want another dusty public health campaign. They wanted relevance, resonance and actual reach.
Creative agency Teapot helped the NHS show up in a place young men didn’t expect but absolutely noticed: Twitch.
The Teapot team knew young men were a tough crowd when it came to public health messaging, especially on a topic like HPV vaccination.
NHS Somerset needed to engage the audience directly, build awareness and motivate action. The usual channels – Facebook and Insta weren’t going to cut it – and the Teapot team was drafted in . . . with a four-week deadline for action! 
The team knew that as well as being the world’s largest live streaming platform, Twitch was more than just a gaming site. It was a platform where 18–25-year-old men spent hours every week immersed in play, commentary and community.
Lizzie Tottle of Teapot said: “Rather than interrupt, Teapot decided to integrate. Speak their language. Respect the space.
“We created a creative concept built around something every gamer understands: patch updates and squad protection. Our campaign message was simple: “Protect Yourself. Protect Your Team”.
“It echoed in-game logic: you wouldn’t head into battle without armour. So why roll the dice on your health?”
Teapot used a combination of targeted pre-roll ads and live stream integrations with relevant creators. Gamers saw the HPV message delivered in a place they trusted, by people they respected.
And the numbers spoke for themselves:
Lizzie added: “This campaign succeeded because we didn’t treat young men as a hard to reach demographic. We treated them as humans with habits, interests and expectations. Then we met them there, with something worth watching.
“It also worked because Twitch isn’t just a platform. It’s a mindset. And when you understand the rules of that world, collaboration, community, loyalty you can drop in something useful without breaking the fourth wall.
“Finally, it worked because NHS Somerset trusted us to push the brief. And that’s when real creativity happens.”
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