‘Flat-footed and uninspiring’: experts rate Australia’s Covid vaccination advertising
‘Government communications have been dull’
The defining characteristic of most of the government’s communications about Covid-19, including the latest quasi-militaristic campaign about “arming yourself ”, has been how dull it is. The work has been prosaic, flat-footed, uninspiring and unlikely to motivate anyone. It’s almost as if the messaging has been designed not to attract attention. Other countries have done much better – and not just at getting more vaccines into arms. I love the lightness of touch of this TVC from the UK. It is a textbook example of encouraging people to have the vaccine, rather than lecturing or guilting them into it.
And it’s also a great use of celebrities, rather than having them stand stiffly and uncomfortably and talk at us, the way poor Nick Coatsworth has been used.
Even private companies have got in on the act. This, from Heineken, is a masterpiece of encouragement. As an old codger myself, I really like how the older people in this ad are portrayed as cool.
And it’s not like we don’t have the skill or talent to do great work here. Even if our penny-pinching leaders don’t want to spend the sort of money the Brits and Heineken have, here’s what an old copywriter mate of mine, Mick Hunter, knocked up in a few minutes.
It’s not only wittier than the “arm yourself” execution, it’s also a much more effective call to arms for collective action.
The two commercials from overseas are textbook examples of motivating behaviour through hope. Mick’s execution is about the hope embedded in joining together to fight something. If your aim is to change behaviour – like persuading people to get a vaccine – then hope can work, but so can fear.
That’s because they are the two future-focused emotions. If you look at the future with excitement you feel hope, if you look at it with dread you feel fear. Sometimes we call them the carrot and the stick. In behaviour change terms neither is better or worse than the other, both can work.
The execution featuring the young woman struggling to breathe, unlike the dull as ditchwater “arm yourself” campaign, uses fear as a motivator. It may not be a particularly good ad, it may even have some ethical problems, given medical professionals have been quick to call it inaccurate.
But, in terms of changing behaviour, it has at least some chance of working, providing there is enough vaccine available of course.
Jane Caro is a former advertising executive and social commentator
‘Fear can result in the denial of seriousness of the threat’
I would rate the national “Arm Yourself” vaccination campaign five out of 10 in terms of effectiveness. We know from 20 years of social scientific research that both trust and motivation are necessary for adopting a behaviour. We also know metaphors like “arm yourself ” increase trust in available vaccines but do not motivate people to get vaccinated.
When it comes to the graphic ad with the young woman on a ventilator, the government has shot and missed the mark too. This sort of fear arousal only works if three ingredients are present: the fear is moderate, the ad recommends an action that clearly stops the threat, and people are convinced they can do what is necessary.
That last ingredient is missing. The call in the ad to “book your vaccination” (now) is meant to motivate people to get the AstraZeneca vaccine, a jab many do not trust, albeit wrongly, and others have difficulties accessing.
The line “book your vaccination” should be cut so the message only focuses on staying at home and getting tested; two actions that are clearly within our control. Fear can motivate us to protect themselves, but without belief in our ability to make a change, it only results in defensiveness and denial of the seriousness of the threat.
The fear of ending up on a ventilator is real but due to the AstraZeneca vaccine’s perceived shortcomings it also raises doubts about our own ability to overcome the vaccine’s side effects. This means substantial effort goes into trying to control that unpleasant feeling and there is a good chance that we overlook the core message.
The ad is not inspirational. On the one hand it makes people deal with the fear of severe illness, while on the other they either do not want to change their behaviour in response to this or cannot logistically. This can utterly preoccupy and overwhelm them. To reduce this anxiety, they become distracted from the real purpose of the information, simply opt to deny the threat, and comment how the woman on the ventilator is “just an actor”.
Instead, the message of the vaccination campaign should be a positive one. You would want a vaccination campaign that motivates people by telling an emotional story that clarifies what is in it for them and that exerts social pressure.
• Dr Tom van Laer is associate professor of narratology at the University of Sydney. He is an expert on the science of how behaviour is changed by stories, such as advertisements, entertainment and social media
‘Government interference has diluted the campaigns’
The government advertising seems to have the aim of “how to make it seem like we’re encouraging vaccinations without actually motivating people enough to book for a vaccine (given we don’t have enough)”.
The last thing this government wants is a campaign that drives more people to get vaccinated when there isn’t enough vaccines at the moment. So this campaign is very on brand for the government – all announcements, no delivery.
I certainly don’t blame the ad agency, they are one of the best in the country. This is a case where you can see how government interference in the process has diluted what may have been a very good idea to begin with.
I’d use fear or patriotism in vaccine advertising. Fear works because we’re hardwired to notice negative information and it has a greater persuasive effect (it’s why we do so many negative ads in election campaigns even though people say they hate them, we know they work) but they need to be more clever than the current one.
I’d also cast someone old enough to be eligible for a vaccine.
When it comes to the graphic ad with the young woman on a ventilator, the government has shot and missed the mark.
Dr Tom van Laer