FROM FORBES: USING HUMOR AND NOSTALGIA, MORE BRANDS ARE PUTTING MONEY AND CLOUT BEHIND COVID-19 VACCINE ADS

Source: Forbes

Featuring Nafeez Zawahir, Cheif Medical Officer, Razorfish Health, and Lee Fraser, Chief Medical Officer, Digitas Health

Excerpted from Forbes:

While research has shown that vaccines created by Pfizer, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are safe and effective, some segments of the population remain unwilling. A survey of 1,000 U.S. adults conducted by Nielsen last month found that 52% of respondents had received at least one dose, had scheduled an appointment or had registered to receive the vaccine upon becoming eligible, but 26% were still uncertain about getting their shot, and one fifth didn’t plan to get vaccinated. Many of the undecided were younger, women or hispanic.

Nafeez Zawahir, chief medical officer at Razorfish Health, points out that it’s also important to distinguish between those who are anti-vaccine and those who are vaccine-hesitant. He says marketers need to do a better job of acknowledging that hesitancy, especially in minority communities that have experienced systemic racism and discrimination within the healthcare system.

“If I simply tell you, even in a paternalist way, that this vaccine is good and say you need to take it, and you’re hesitant and I don’t address you in a way that acknowledges that problem you might have, that’s a failure and a failing we haven’t really addressed,” he says.

Some medical experts believe vaccine messaging has been focused on the wrong things. Lee Fraser, chief medical officer of Digitas Health, says a lot of early marketing efforts were focused on selling individual protection rather than the benefits for everyone. He thinks that even those not worried about getting Covid-19 may be inclined to get the vaccine if it means being reunited with family and friends.

“The thing about marketing a vaccine is it’s always gone down the path of, ‘Hey there’s this scary pathogen and there’s a vaccine you should take it and it’ll make you feel safe,’” Fraser says. “And what that sets up is a dismissible proposition. Say, is the risk great enough that I need to take this vaccine and it becomes almost dismissible.”

Read the full article in Forbes.

Nafeez Zawahir is the Chief Medical Officer of Razorfish Health. Follow Nafeez on LinkedIn.

Lee Fraser is the Chief Medical Officer of Digitas Health. Follow Lee on LinkedIn.

About Razorfish Health
Fueling the Practice of Modern Medicine

Razorfish Health (RFH) is a full-service creative agency with deep roots and expertise in healthcare providers (HCPs) and the patients that they serve. As the first digital healthcare agency, we are passionately on the forefront of fueling the practice of modern medicine, helping to shape how it is practiced today and how it will be taught for tomorrow. Our driving purpose is to develop inventive, data-driven communications that help HCPs and patients make better connections for better outcomes. Visit Razorfish Health’s website, and follow RFH on LinkedIn, Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.

About Digitas Health
Digitas Health is the agency of now: the first global connected-health agency, bringing urgency to the abundant opportunity contained in today’s fluid and complex healthcare environment. Digitas Health brings together people who are driven to do great things with healthcare brands, who are frustrated by the status quo, and who are seeking new and better ways to engage with their customers. The agency’s contemporary and bold approach provides a practical path to transformative life-changing work and proven business growth.

To learn more about Digitas Health, visit the website and for the latest news and updates, follow Digitas Health on Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.