A Super Bowl Vaccination Ad Campaign is Needed
Last week, President Biden released his administration’s proposal for a new stimulus bill, which includes more federal funding for vaccinating the country and economic programs to help people through the pandemic. Up to now, there has been mass confusion about who can be vaccinated, where, and when. One of the bigger challenges that the Biden administration will face, in addition to ramping up vaccine production, will be ensuring people understand the process. In a country of 328 million individuals, how do you reach as many Americans as possible to educate about the vaccination operation unfolding?
By running a simple ad campaign during the Super Bowl in a little over two weeks time, more than a hundred million people (close to ⅓ of the country) could be provided information in a single evening. This will enable a much more fluid and transparent vaccination program.
The most watched TV broadcast in American history is the Apollo 11 moon landing. After that, the vast majority of all-time viewed broadcasts are Super Bowl games. In 2019, close to 70% of households with a TV tuned in at some point.
It’s an American tradition that is followed year after year and a safe bet that a lot of people will tune in. Roger Goodell, the NFL Commissioner, already announced plans to use the Super Bowl coverage to “promote the importance of vaccination and appropriate health practices.” Even more promotion can be done that evening. If the Biden administration is looking to spread the word on its approach to COVID-19 vaccinations, the event should be incorporated into its national education campaign.
Companies spend gargantuan amounts of money on ad campaigns during the Super Bowl, because they know that a huge chunk of the country is watching. It pays off to advertise during the game. With COVID-19 forcing many to stay home, you could see even more people tuning in with little else to do. This is an incredibly valuable opportunity.
The Biden administration should do four things: prepare a concise and clear ad that helps people understand their vaccination plan, explain how truly beneficial getting vaccinated will be, make daily announcements leading up to the Super Bowl about the ad campaign, and air the ad campaign throughout the night. While states and local governments may have unique vaccination plans, information that is critical to everyone about President Biden’s federally-led, locally focused vaccination campaign can be amplified.
Different people tune in at different times, so it will be important to run the ad throughout the night. It’s hard to predict how the game will go, so it makes sense to start running the ads from the outset of the game. Waiting until later in the evening to start airing the campaign is risky, especially if the game itself isn’t entertaining for whatever reason.
It will also be key to run the ad right before the Halftime show. Not everyone loves sports. That’s okay. Some tune in primarily for the musical performance, so the ad should be run right before the show begins as well.
This isn’t the only day that ad campaigns should be utilized to spread the word about the Biden vaccination plan. However, in a time when there is great division on where people get their news and entertainment, it is crucial to target an event where there is truly common ground regardless of where someone lies on the political spectrum.
The Super Bowl bypasses those issues. Unlike other nights, where people are viewing various channels or might not even be watching TV, most are focused on this one event.
This is an opportunity to ensure many people know essential information about the collective vaccination effort as we confront the pandemic head on as a nation. The Biden administration should run Super Bowl ads outlining the steps being taken to vaccinate, save lives, and ensure we can resume normal activities, like watching football games in stadiums and at bars, as soon as possible.
Will Raderman is a research fellow at Boston University’s School of Public Health.