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'Fifth Guy' educates Floridians

Healthcare Strategist Trend Watch, July 6, 2007

His manners aren't quite proper, but the Florida Department of Health's new mascot for good health, "The Fifth Guy," has a powerful message to spread: good hygiene can prevent the spread of illness.

The "Talk to the Fifth Guy" campaign, airing on television and radio stations throughout Florida, was inspired by recent statistics from the American Society for Microbiology, which says only four out of five Americans wash their hands after using the restroom. Television and radio advertisements feature the "fifth guy" who infects his office by carrying restroom germs around while he talks to colleagues and sneezes all over his co-workers and their work areas.

The ads were developed to prepare Floridians for the potential of a flu pandemic, but the Department of Health says there is doubt among state residents that a pandemic flu is a true threat. So instead of pitching panic, the department focused on changing hygiene habits and focusing on what does matter to people: fitting in.

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