The government has finally announced it has enlisted the services of an ad agency to encourage young Australians to get vaxxed. What took them so long?
Last week in the before times in Melbourne, my GP encouraged me to front up at a COVID vaccination hub despite not yet qualifying. “No one’s going,” she said. “They’ll be happy to see you.”
Days before, I’d spied an odd social post from Stomping Ground brewery after they’d attempted a humorous little promo called, Pot for a Shot — inviting punters to claim a free pot when they got jabbed. Within 12 hours the promo was dead and they’d issued an apology after being overwhelmed by people accusing them of being complicit in a global conspiracy of enforced medicalisation.
From over 50s to young beer drinkers — what in the name of reckless denialism was going on? It’s more than a little troubling that the one thing that can help us get back to something resembling a free society has become so widely mistrusted. Particularly given there was plenty of time to avoid this with, well, ads. In the absence of a decent public health campaign, nonsense conspiracy theories have stepped in to fill the void.
As someone who has been doing ads for some time, I’m a little incredulous it has gotten to this. From the moment COVID-19 came crashing into our lives, a vaccine was the only real answer. So there’s been plenty of time to plan a public response to this woo-hoo. Yes, Australia’s vaccination program has thus far been wobblier than a Naomi Wolf Twitter thread. But we are months in now. When things got off to a shaky start with the blood clot business, it typically would have been the time to tweak the TV, radio and social media campaign already in place to reinforce the efficacy and safety of the vaccine.
The hiccup would have been addressed with some adjustments in targeting, dispelling fears and providing positive education around the benefits of getting vaxxed. A chipper TV ad would have been supported by an upbeat line for ministers to repeat ad nauseum. Something like — just spitballing behind my mask here — “let’s get the vax outta here” or, “don’t wait, vaccinate” or “Jab for Joy!” — a re-working Van Halen’s Jump into a post-ironic syringe-laden electro dreamy song and-dance number featuring all today’s Soundcloud sensations. Too much? What about, “a small prick you won’t regret”? (Hey, I’m not here to give my best work away.)
My underwhelming efforts aside, there are plenty of strategic layers to effective public health campaigns. People need a consistent, positive and relentless push to shift their behaviour and embrace something new like this that is shrouded in uncertainty. The messaging needs to be clear, taking into account the diversity in our population. At its core, the campaign needs to be built on empathy for people’s exhaustion and fear. It needs to address all the barriers to getting vaccinated in order to break them down — and there are many. From an obsession with brands, to a fear of side effects, to confusion around age and occupation exclusions, to an inability to locate a vaccination centre or even book an appointment. Not to mention a barrage of misinformation. To counter all this, the campaign needs to engage frontline communities and arm them with the tools to help get people on board. A good public health campaign will methodically address each issue, then spread the message repetitively and with a singular focus. It will drive a rallying cry that builds civic pride and rewards engagement and action.
Underwritten by empathy and facts, this would have gone a long way in allaying public fears. Instead, we’ve got radio (and TV) silence leading to mass confusion. Which is peculiar from the guy who has become universally known as #ScottyFromMarketing. Even more remarkable that, in Thursday’s press conference announcing financial support for (some) Victorians, Scotty claimed we would beat the virus with “resilience, strength, character and determination.” Not…vaccines?
On the whole, governments love rolling out education campaigns around some policy or another. Particularly when it comes to infrastructure and health. These campaigns aren’t considered political advertising and so can be created with government budgets rather than party budgets. Yes, they are designed to inform. But they are also a neat way to reinforce that governments are DOING STUFF TO LOOK AFTER YOU. They get the feel good halo without having to dip into electoral coffers.
Unless, that is, the campaign is milkshake awful, or the policy isn’t performing the way it’s supposed to, or the government don’t think it will land with key voters. Then they’ll most likely put out a Friday night press release and move on.
As has been pointed out, when you pay a visit to health.gov.au, you’ll find two TV ads with zero recall. One is a snoozy infomercial from Dr Nick Coatsworth (sorry, Nick) and the other is an underwhelming animation. The key outtakes are that the vaccine is voluntary and free and its safety is continuing to be monitored closely.
To say they aren’t compelling is to understate things. (To see how much more engaging this can genuinely be, let’s remind ourselves of New Zealand and Singapore’s efforts.)
At the outset of COVID restrictions, the Victorian campaign was inescapable. That chiming sound introducing every TV ad – encouraging you to wash your hands or keep 1.5 metres apart or wear your mask or get tested with symptoms — became ingrained into our collective consciousness. It was a very effective mnemonic (a sound or motif that builds instant recall). It seems madness that the federal government has not followed suit with the vaccine rollout. We are at the point now where individual choices around vaccination can have the power to help collectively lift us all out of this hellscape. So far, the sound of tumbleweed has been deafening. Here’s hoping the new campaign has what it takes for people to see the light and do what’s right. If not, I’ve got some lines that might help.
Jess Lilley is a writer, broadcaster, creative director and co-founder of communications company, The Open Arms.
