Tag: Vaccination

Sydney, Australia – In a bid to promote vaccine equity for all, dentsu’s media agency arm Carat and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Australia have launched the second phase of their ‘Give The World a Shot’ campaign, which targets to drive donations from Australians to ensure vaccine equity for all. In addition, the agency also called on the business community to get behind this initiative.

For AU$5, the amount will be able to deliver two COVID-19 vaccine doses – enough to fully vaccinate one person. A donation of AU$500 can help to deliver enough vaccines to protect 100 people from the virus.

Dentsu had announced last month that they had joined the COVID Vaccination of UNICEF Australia to support positive vaccine advocacy and encourage donations for the global COVAX initiative, which has to date seen 398.9 million doses delivered to 144 countries. The expectation is to deliver 1.4 billion doses by the end of 2021, with a target of 2 billion in early 2022.

https://youtu.be/EHRHPh3H0tE

Sue Squillace, CEO at dentsu Media ANZ, stated that working with UNICEF Australia has been such a rewarding experience for all of them and that they look forward to seeing the campaign come to fruition, adding that they have seen Aussies rise to the COVID-19 challenge and believe they will rally again behind this worthy cause to help UNICEF deliver vaccinations across the world.

“Leveraging our understanding of the Australian context and how people are feeling right now, we have created a tailored ‘Give The World A Shot’ campaign unique to this market with a sense of positivity and optimism. We could not be happier with the message we are putting out there,” Squillance said.

Carat hopes that the campaign encourages all Australians to pay it forward and donate to UNICEF’s ‘Give the World a Shot’ initiative. To aid the campaign, the media agency has triggered its ‘Compassionate Explorer’ audience, identified through dentsu’s proprietary planner tool CCS.

Furthermore, the agency has also triggered its media channels by state in line with Freedom Day, particularly across NSW and Victoria. The dynamic digital large format sites are placed in high quality locations and display contextual messaging, comparing the local suburb vaccination rate with that of low-income countries. In addition, digital homepage takeovers across state mastheads align with print ads to drive cut-through and impact in topical environments and will be staggered based on the level of restrictions in each respective state.

For UNICEF Australia CEO Tony Stuart, the organization is working on the largest procurement and supply operation ever to ensure that countries around the globe have equitable access to 3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. And yet, no organization can do it alone, and everyone has a part to play so nobody misses out, which is why the campaign is vital to drive donations.

“As Australians reach high vaccination rates and we begin to open up to the rest of the world, now is the time for each of us, as individuals, to know the small, but crucial, part we can play in vaccine equity. Thanks to Carat’s help to grow greater awareness of UNICEF’s Give the World a Shot campaign, we can do this,” Stuart stated.

Meanwhile, Amanda Florence, client manager at Carat, commented, “Working with UNICEF to bring to life an incredibly worthy cause has been a humbling experience for our team. We are very lucky to be in a position where we are able to help those less fortunate than ourselves and believe that no matter how big or how small, everyone can help.”

Sydney, Australia – Creative agency Paper Moose’s latest ad pitch depicting the theme of encouraging the public to get vaccinated against COVID-19 has won against Analogue Folk with a score 4-0 in favor of Paper Moose, in the Australian TV series ‘Gruen’, following the series’ return, as featured on the program segment ‘The Pitch’

‘Gruen’ is an Australian TV series currently airing on the Australian channel ABC which focuses on advertising. Part of that TV series is the segment ‘The Pitch’, where two competing marketing or advertising companies create an advertisement for an ‘unsellable’ product.

On the new ‘The Pitch’ segment, both agencies were asked to create an advertisement encouraging Australians to get vaccinated against COVID-19, a topic that dominated the show.

For Analogue Folk’s part, they produced an ad asking why people ignore those they care about, but listen to strangers on the internet spreading misinformation. However, Paper Moose’s ad utilized a high-pressure situation to explore the current issue of skepticism towards COVID-19 vaccinations, where in fact millions of lives currently depend on it.

The ad depicted a man having an allergic reaction but asking questions about the EpiPen he is being administered as he struggles. The ad then ends with a message ‘science has our back’ and to get the vax.

Commenting on the ad execution, ‘Gruen’ panelist and Australian businessman Russel Howcroft stated, “The first commercial from Analogue Folk, I think that was really well made. However, the insight from Paper Moose, in particular the idea that the brand matters, when there’s a bigger thing at play, it really appealed to me enormously.”

Fellow ‘Gruen’ panelist Sunita Gloster also agreed, stating that ‘[Paper Moose’s ad] felt more cohesive and I think it addressed one of the barriers in a way that didn’t get your back up.”

Speaking as well in agreement with Paper Moose’s ad execution, panelist Todd Sampson commented, “I think there was one clear winner there, and it won. I thought that to take one of the big concerns that anti-vaxxers have, and then to dramatize it in that way – by the way I thought they could have gone serious or funny with it, both would have been powerful – I thought the second one [Paper Moose] was much better.”

This is the third season in a row that Paper Moose has taken victory, with a draw the year before.

Sydney, Australia – In a bid to boost vaccination endeavors across the country, the Advertising Council Australia, alongside consulting firm Accenture and creative agency The Monkeys, is releasing a public service campaign, which looks back at the numerous events and instances in Australia’s history that Australians have conquered or passed through.

The 60-second campaign showcases both the positive and the negative events in history that have shaped Australia’s resilience against these hindrances or challenges. Enclosed in the campaign are snippets of how Australians have conquered natural disasters such as bushfires, floods, drought as well as the global financial crisis of 2007 to 2008, and championed innovations which include the cochlear implant to overcome deafness, and in the case of Fred Hollows, treat avoidable blindness.

For Tony Hale, CEO at Advertising Council Australia, there is great momentum for vaccination but more needs to be done as part of a concerted push to boost double vaccination rates to the levels and within the timeframe needed.

“As part of a call to arms, we need to bring those who are uncertain about vaccination on board and get the last leg of double vaccinations underway in a bid to reach a minimum of 80% so we can open the country up as quickly as possible,” Hale stated.

Meanwhile, Mark Green, co-founder and group CEO at The Monkey and lead at Accenture Interactive ANZ, commented that by watching the campaign, he reflected that it is important to look back and reflect on all of the challenges we have overcome as a nation, as Many Australians have been greatly affected by the pandemic and in these difficult times.

“As part of this fantastic collaboration, I’m proud of our industry for coming together to encourage all Australians to prioritize vaccination. With one final push, let’s apply our fighting spirit to this pandemic – if we all get vaccinated, we can beat this challenge too,” Green added.

Said campaign has also seen the support of the shareholders of the Premium Content Alliance namely Foxtel, News Corp, Nine, Seven West Media and 10; to which they donated media for the campaign.

“This initiative is the best way for us to do our part in encouraging all Australians to get vaccinated. The reach of our shareholders will ensure the campaign is seen by millions who will watch, hear, read and remember what can be accomplished when we come together as a country,” Kim Portrate, CEO at Premium Content Alliance, stated.

Vaccination campaign efforts have been rampant across Asia-Pacific, with organizations such as the Business Council of Australia, and brands like Agoda, Grab, and TikTok Singapore encouraging their followers to get vaccinated already.

Australia – Business Council of Australia, the association of business leaders that gathers and engages in professional, intellectual, and leadership development, has launched a new campaign, aimed at bringing together employers of all sizes from across the economy to boost vaccination rates in the country.

Titled ‘One Shot Closer’, the campaign, which was created in collaboration with creative agency M&C Saatchi and supported by Facebook, seeks to reach at least 80% of Australians and give every business in the country access to a toolkit of messages and assets to let them speak with a united voice. 

The Business Council’s CEO, Jennifer Westacott, shared that the campaign is carefully researched and geared to complement existing state and federal advertising with messages that remind Australians that safe and effective vaccines are their path back.

“This is critical to the economy and the mental health and well-being of all Australians, as businesses across the country are pulling out all stops to reach our vaccination targets and put Australia on track to reopen. We have shown we can bounce back if we plan now to safely reopen, but that all depends on our ability to get Australians vaccinated,” said Westacott.

Meanwhile, Will Easton, Facebook’s managing director for AUNZ, noted that they have supported Aussie businesses and the community in staying connected during these challenging times.

“We’re thrilled to be able to offer our support to the ‘One Shot Closer’ campaign and help the Business Council of Australia amplify this important message on our platforms,” said Easton.

Alexi Boyd, the CEO of Council of Small Business Organizations, believes that without a clear roadmap out of COVID restrictions small businesses will struggle to reopen and stay open.

“This initiative will help small businesses by encouraging more Australians to get jabbed, get our communities flourishing again and support Australian businesses,” said Boyd.

The campaign comes as more than 160 businesses employing millions of Australians sign the Business Council’s joint letter backing the National Plan, which is to help the residents to be freed from the pandemic lockdown.

Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – To show support for the vaccination movement, there has recently been a bandwagon of brands offering attractive discounts to individuals that will be fully vaccinated. This is in hopes of cushioning the level of vaccine hesitancy that is obviously present in different nations. 

On the side of travel brands, booking platform in Asia, Agoda, has today piloted a campaign ‘Vaxxed To Go’ in Malaysia that would see its accommodation partners incentivizing fully vaccinated travelers special travel deals and benefits. 

Through this campaign, Agoda hopes to galvanize others in the travel and hospitality industry to come together and play a part in helping the country return to normalcy. Agoda said that the current campaign is in support of Malaysia’s nationwide immunization drive.

The ‘Vaxxed To Go’ campaign follows the implementation of Malaysia’s National Recovery Plan (NRP), which places vaccination as one of the three key threshold indicators to determine the gradual re-opening of economic and social activities.

With Agoda’s Vaxxed To Go initiative, accommodation providers will be able to get behind the national vaccination effort and benefit from bookings from travelers who are vaccinated and looking for safe ways to travel. 

Hotel partners that will be joining the campaign will be able to benefit from the support of Agoda’s comprehensive marketing efforts for the campaign which expects increased visibility and exposure to participating properties. 

Engagement will span across a range of marketing channels including social media, banner promotions, and pop-ups. One of the benefits as well for brands is that consumers will be able to easily browse through their ideal ‘Vaxxed to Go’ packages through dedicated landing pages. 

Cleland Robertson, Agoda’s country director for Malaysia and Brunei, commented that after months of lockdown and movement restrictions, many Malaysians are no doubt looking forward to traveling again as it becomes safe to do so. Robertson said that Malaysians have always had a healthy appetite for travel, and so with the concept of ‘Vaxxed To Go’, Agoda hopes to encourage more Malaysians to feel safe and confident to travel again, and to get their COVID-19 vaccinations. 

“Aside from safeguarding public health, increased inoculation rates will be crucial in kickstarting the recovery of the nation’s economy as a whole and particularly that of the travel and hospitality sector. Agoda also hopes to inspire other industry players to play their part in helping Malaysia achieve herd immunity as soon as possible,” said Robertson.

Discounts within the campaign will also have value-added perks such as room upgrades, or food and beverage discounts. Properties may also list special packages for on-site experiences, from resort activities to spa and wellness deals.

“Vaxxed To Go’ is an extension of the Agoda Special Offers offering, which was launched in May in several other markets. Malaysia is only its pilot market for the campaign, and Agoda said that it aims to roll out ‘Vaxxed To Go’ in more markets in the coming months. 

Sydney, Australia – As pandemic woes globally are now starting to ease thanks to constant rollout of vaccination campaigns, a large chunk of Australian consumers, around 42% of them, believe that even non-health brands should play their part as well in promoting vaccination campaigns in their respective localities, new data from Kantar shows.

Despite the high percentage of consumers agreeing to heightened brand-centric vaccination campaigns, 74% of Australian consumers still believe that brands should not use the pandemic in exploiting others, while 54% of respondents say that they want brands to talk as they have always done, signaling the balance of brand communications and advocacy.

Such proximate affinity of these consumers to their brands of choice in the mid of the pandemic is rooted in the factor of locality, to which 76% of respondents choose to shop at local stores since it shows importance for the community. This trait has raised 12% since its last reading in April this year. In addition, 35% of respondents strongly suggest that convenience fares better than the price of a brand’s product or service.

Jonathan Sinton, chief commercial officer at Kantar Australia, said, “Homegrown is preferred with 37% continuing to pay attention to product origin, [which is] a marked increase to pre-pandemic preferences when origin was far less of a consideration. Additionally, almost two-thirds (63%) of Australians believe that environmental issues are more critical than ever (+6%) as we become more focused on purchasing sustainable products and brands right now.”

He also added that Australians are only decreasing sustainable behaviors that are against current pandemic rules, such as carpooling and keep cup usage, or where they have hygiene concerns or because it is simply inconvenient.

“Being a strong brand committed to provenance, value and sustainability is key to connecting with pandemic weary Australians in these uncertain times, but this must be communicated with authenticity,” Sinton added.

Adding to the sentiment of Australian consumers for brands engaging in vaccination campaigns is the fact that 66% of Australians want the majority of the population vaccinated to feel safe returning to daily life and 55% believe the country should keep the goal of zero cases of community transmission.

Singapore – Realizing that more consumers are putting more emphasis to their health care in the mid of a pandemic, dating app Bumble has announced its ‘I Am Vaccinated’ badge across its users in Singapore, which shows the users a badge that affirms the user’s participation to their respective vaccination campaigns locally.

The new badge feature starts to roll out in Singapore next week, where users can add the badge to their profile, which will be shown to their potential partners when they use the app.

This feature was added onto the platform as Bumble has seen a steady increase in the number of people who have included the word ‘vaccine’ or ‘vaccinate’ in their profiles after the first COVID-19 vaccines were administered earlier this year.

According to Lucille McCart, director for APAC at Bumble, COVID-19 has significantly changed the way we have formed and strengthened social connections in light of lockdowns and social distancing measures. She added that they know that single individuals are still actively looking to take control of their dating lives as the situation turns for the better.

“Conversations around COVID-related safety remain a priority for our Bumble community, so it is important for us to make it easier for people to feel comfortable and assured while they forge new connections. With the new ‘I’m Vaccinated’ badge and other safety features, people can easily communicate their dating preferences on the Bumble app,” McCart stated.

Bumble has existing COVID-19 related features in their app, which includes the COVID Preferences Center within the app, which allows its community across the globe to indicate what kind of dates they feel comfortable going on — whether purely virtual, socially distanced, or socially distanced with a mask when local restrictions permit.

Singapore – Food and grocery delivery platform foodpanda has announced that it will be rolling its vaccination awareness campaign across its key markets in Asia, which lines up with the upcoming World Health Organisation’s World Immunization Week from 24 to 30 April 2021.

The campaign focuses on a series of content which will be shared through digital and social media channels that provides useful information and resources on local vaccination programs, tips on identifying vaccination misinformation and reminders on COVID-19 safeguards. Foodpanda is also supporting local vaccination programs in Singapore, Cambodia and the Philippines. 

In the Philippines, foodpanda will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Department of Health in April 2021 to combat vaccine misinformation by creating correct information materials targeted for riders, consumers and partner vendors. Foodpanda Philippines is also supporting the ‘IngatAngat’ vaccine information awareness campaign by the local T3 Task Force, composed of government and private sector members to encourage vaccinations.

Meanwhile, foodpanda Cambodia, throughout the month of April, is supporting and showing appreciation to frontliners, by donating food and drinks to four major hospitals and vaccination centres. Foodpanda Cambodia is also working with local authorities to get employees and delivery riders vaccinated. 

In Singapore, foodpanda is working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that its rider partners are vaccinated, while exploring collaborations with local authorities on initiatives to help raise public awareness about vaccines.

Other initiatives include virtual onboarding, fee waivers, and support initiatives for merchants to join the platform quickly and seamlessly. Foodpanda has also allowed more riders to join the network and making food, groceries, and daily essentials available for safe and convenient doorstep delivery, made contactless by default to minimize direct contact and protect the health and safety of customers, riders and merchants

According to Jakob Angele, CEO of foodpanda, the campaign is the company’s objective in spreading the message of being vigilant on keeping our ecosystem safe.

“Leveraging existing channels with our network of riders, merchants, employees and customers, we can raise greater awareness around fighting misinformation and share information around local vaccination programmes, so that our entire delivery ecosystem can be informed and mobilised. We will continuously explore ways to play a part in the fight against COVID-19,” Angele said.

The new campaign comes after foodpanda has recently revamped their brand identity across Asia.

Foodpanda’s campaign will be rolled out in phases across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Hong Kong, Cambodia, Japan, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines.

Singapore – Despite current travel restriction implementations brought by national governments to combat COVID-19, a large majority of Singaporeans are optimistic that travel restrictions will be lifted soon, and that travel will resume, new statistics from a report by booking platform Booking.com shows.

According to the research, seven in ten Singaporean travelers (71%) feel more hopeful about traveling in 2021 due to the unwavering commitment of the scientific and medical communities and the roll-out of COVID-19 vaccines, and potential air travel bubble developments. The same amount (70%) states that not being able to travel extensively in 2020 has made them yearn for travel even more in 2021. 

Part of the growing optimism among Singaporeans can be attributed to the current rollout of vaccines in the country, as the research shows that slightly over half (63%) of Singaporean travelers state that they won’t travel internationally until they have been vaccinated, which rises to 69% among those 55 years old and above, while a greater amount (67%) of Singaporean travelers showing willingness to travel only to countries that have implemented vaccination programs. But there still is some hesitation, with almost half (52%) remaining skeptical as to whether a vaccine will truly help make travel safer. 

Despite feeling mostly optimistic, travelers all around the world acknowledge that not being able to travel in 2020 as they used to in previous years has had a significant effect on their well-being, with over half (52%) of Singaporean travelers reporting a negative impact on their mental health and 47% stating they have felt imprisoned in their own home due to travel restrictions.

Around 65% of Singaporean travelers also say travel is more important to them now than it was before the pandemic. So much so that almost two thirds (65%) of Singaporean travelers would even go so far as stating that they would rather go on a vacation in 2021 than find true love. Meanwhile, 59% would prioritize traveling over success at work, preferring to go on vacation than getting promoted.

Meanwhile, six in ten (62%) Singaporean travelers have used the increased time at home to plan future travel while slightly over half (54%) banking more vacation days, feeling excited about the potential of taking longer vacations in 2021. When dreaming about their next vacation, 51% of Singaporean travelers feel confident that they’ll be able to hit the beach by summer 2021, and 18% say a relaxing beach or spa trip will be the first type of trip when it’s safe to do so. After an exhausting year, only 9% will book a city break and just 5% say an active break is a priority.

Following the impact that COVID-19 has had on the travel industry, 96% of Singaporean travelers think the industry needs to be supported to get back on its feet. Nearly three quarters (74%) believe that government financial stimuli are now needed to help travel’s recovery and over two thirds (69%) worry that the industry won’t survive unless it is supported with government grants. 

In terms of more practical regulations, 75% state that wider access to pre-travel COVID-19 testing is needed, and 73% say that governments should collaborate with travel associations and providers to set more consistent standards.

According to Nuno Guerreiro, regional director for South Asia, Oceania, and Chains at Booking.com, the company remains firmly committed to supporting everyone on their journey to getting back to travel, as soon as it’s safe to do so.

“We have grown over the past year navigating the pandemic, as our consumers have too, and we’re optimistic that we’ll be able to experience the world together again soon as we work together with all those in the travel industry to ensure its recovery,” Guerreiro stated.

He added, “With our mission to make it easier for everyone to experience the world, when the time is right to discover the places, cultures and experiences we’ve all been dreaming of, we will make sure you can find them on Booking.com.”