SUCCESS STORY

Prevention Campaign to Reduce the Transport of
Pork Products in Luggage Between the Dominican Republic
and the United States

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CHALLENGE

PROPOSED
SOLUTION

RESULTS

African swine fever (ASF) represents a threat to the swine industry in the Americas, with the transport of unauthorized pork products by international travelers being one of the main risk factors for its spread. Although communication efforts had been developed to prevent this practice, detections continued to be recorded at the main airports of the Dominican Republic, highlighting the need to strengthen awareness among travelers bound for the United States. To better understand audience behavior and guide the strategy, 12,129 detection records collected between 2022 and 2025 were analyzed. The analysis made it possible to identify behavior patterns and higher-risk profiles, providing the basis for developing a more effective, focused, and relevant campaign for travelers.

Based on the findings of the analysis, Newlink developed an awareness campaign designed to connect with travelers from a close, everyday perspective. Instead of focusing the message on the technical aspects of the disease or on a restrictive approach, the strategy translated a complex health regulation into simple, relevant, and easy-to-understand messages, appealing to situations travelers could easily relate to, such as delays, confiscations, or inconveniences during their trip for transporting unauthorized pork products. The goal was to promote informed decisions through an empathetic, preventive tone, prioritizing awareness over punishment and generating a more effective connection with the audience. The implementation combined an omnichannel strategy that included 13 road signs on strategic routes to the country’s main airports, five large-format billboards at airport terminals, informational pieces in boarding areas, a digital campaign on Meta and Display, audio ads on Spotify to reinforce the message during travelers’ transit moments, and premium content and formats in Snack Report, Listín Diario, and Diario Libre, maximizing the campaign’s reach and frequency at the audience’s main touchpoints.

The campaign successfully positioned the preventive message with the target audience through a data-driven communication strategy, reaching 2.4 million people and generating more than 15 million impressions, far exceeding the established reach and impression goals. It also recorded 37,125 clicks and a CTR of 0.25%, eight times higher than the projected benchmark, reflecting a high level of attention and engagement with the message. The combination of digital formats made it possible to reinforce the message at different moments of the travel process. On Spotify, for example, the campaign achieved a completion rate of 95.38% , demonstrating high content retention among the audience. Together, the strategy helped strengthen awareness of the risks associated with transporting pork products and promote more informed decisions among travelers. It is important to note that these results correspond to the first month of the campaign, within a total placement period of three months. They therefore represent a partial performance of the initiative. Once the full period is complete, confiscation data will be incorporated to assess the total impact of the intervention on travelers' actual behavior.