19 To Zero Coalition Launches New Campaign In The Wake of Alberta's Soaring COVID-19 Hospitalizations
New behaviour-change campaign will specifically target remaining vaccine hesitant individuals in Wood Buffalo and Edmonton
CALGARY, AB, Oct. 25, 2021 /CNW/ - 19 To Zero, the national, multidisciplinary coalition aiming to shift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and vaccination, is launching a new campaign called "It's Never Too Late" in targeted regions, including Wood Buffalo and Edmonton on Oct. 25, 2021.
The campaign ad—created in response to the unprecedented surge in ICU admissions of unvaccinated Albertans in recent weeks—shows a chillingly rapid chain of events from the perspective of an unvaccinated and critically ill COVID-19 patient, as they are assessed and admitted into the ICU to be intubated. Set to sounds of laboured breathing and medical monitors, the footage was shot in Alberta using local healthcare workers who have firsthand experience treating patients with severe COVID-19.
Rural Family Health Resident and 19 To Zero Spokesperson Dr. Finola Hackett has seen too many patients who have waited to get vaccinated and ended up hospitalized:
"After so many months and so much tragedy, it's more important than ever that we continue to communicate the importance of getting vaccinated," says Dr. Hackett. "People may be hesitant to get vaccinated for many reasons, but the reality is that COVID is still taking lives. With the 'It's Never Too Late' campaign, we want audiences to see that the benefits of vaccination far outweigh the risks, and to really think about what could happen if they get COVID," she adds.
19 To Zero has worked with creative agency, Emergence Creative to launch a series of behaviour-change campaigns over the past year and a half, targeting different population segments. For this campaign, research and audience analysis suggested that raising an individual's sense of concern about getting COVID-19 was still the most powerful motivator to get vaccinated. Based on this insight, the campaign was developed to show Albertans the horrifying realities of this ongoing and unprecedented health crisis. Since the beginning of the pandemic, 99% of the more than 27,000 Canadians who have died from COVID-19 have been unvaccinated. The simple, but hard-hitting campaign lets people know that vaccines are still available and that it is never too late to get protection from the virus—until it is.
"The idea for the video was to show a patient's exact perspective as they get treated for severe COVID," says Emergence Creative CEO, Raj Pannu.
"We wanted to capture the full experience, from admission to intubation, from a first-person perspective, giving the video a really visceral, powerful effect. The loneliness and fear the patient feels is palpable, and we hope it challenges audiences to choose vaccination," he adds.
The broadcast and out-of-home campaign includes 4 weeks of 30-second spots on Global, CTV, and CBC; six weeks of promotion on Facebook and Instagram; and 8-week placements on buses, transit shelters, and digital billboards.
To find out more about 19 To Zero and the "It's Never Too Late" Campaign, visit 19tozero.ca
Press kit available HERE
19 To Zero is a dedicated coalition of academics, public health experts, behavioural economists, and creative professionals working to understand, engage with, and ultimately shift public perceptions around COVID-19 behaviours and vaccination.
Emergence is a global creative agency specifically dedicated to communications that drive social impact. Based in New York City, Emergence works with corporations, nonprofits, startups, governments, and multilateral institutions that serve the common good around the world.
SOURCE 19 To Zero
