The Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative have unveiled a new public service ad campaign aimed at building trust among Americans who may be hesitant about getting vaccinated against COVID-19.
The “It’s Up To You” campaign will feature ads in English and Spanish for TV, billboards, bus shelters, social media, and publications, and will include materials tailored for church leaders, doctors, pharmacists, and others in Black and Hispanic communities, where COVID-19 has hit hard but where vaccine uptake has lagged. Some of the ads may feature celebrities such as the actors Angela Bassett and John Leguizamo, CNN’s Sanjay Gupta, and Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious diseases expert, according to a February 25, 2021, ABC News article.
The ads invite viewers to get more information on a website called GetVaccineAnswers.org.
The $52 million ad campaign was announced in November by the Ad Council, a nonprofit advertising group, and the COVID Collaborative, a coalition of experts in health, education, and the economy. Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle Williams is a co-founder of the COVID Collaborative. Other Harvard Chan School experts involved in the group include Howard Koh, Harvey V. Fineberg Professor of the Practice of Public Health Leadership, and Jay Winsten, director of the Initiative on Communication Strategies in Public Health.
Winsten—who helped shape the national designated driver campaign aimed at reducing drunk driving injuries and deaths—told ABC News that the campaign is launching at a good time, noting that although vaccines have been available since mid-December, it can take a while for people wary of vaccines to gain confidence about them. He said it helps that millions of Americans have already been vaccinated without serious side effects. “People will be more open to the messaging now,” he said.
Read the ABC News article: Ad campaign launches to build public trust in COVID-19 shots
Read an Ad Council press release: The Ad Council and COVID Collaborative Reveal ‘It’s Up To You’ Campaigns to Educate Millions of Americans about COVID-19 Vaccines