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On Sunday, residents of North Carolina spotted what appeared to be an undertaker’s truck with the words “don’t get vaccinated.”
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It turned out to be an advertising agency stunt to promote COVID-19 vaccination in the state.
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In North Carolina, 49% of the vaccine-eligible population has been fully immunized.
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On Sunday, people walking near Bank of America Stadium in North Carolina were treated to a strange sight: a funeral home van with the words “do not get vaccinated.”
Twitter users posted photos of what appeared to be a large truck carrying an advertisement for Wilmore Funeral Home.
Visiting the website marked on the truck reveals a message: “Get vaccinated now. If not, see you soon.” The only link available on the page is to StarMed Healthcare, an emergency care center in Charlotte where people can get vaccinated against COVID-19.
The mobile billboard message turned out to be a publicity stunt from Boone Oakley, an advertising agency in Charlotte that created the ad to increase vaccination rates in the state. Wilmore Funeral Home does not exist.
Only 49% of people eligible for the vaccine in North Carolina are fully vaccinated, according to the New York Times COVID-19 vaccine tracker. The state is also seeing a steady rise in COVID-19 infections. North Carolina recorded a seven-day average of 6,194 COVID-19 infections on Monday, a 48% increase in the number of daily cases from 14 days ago.
Speaking to Newsweek, David Oakley, the agency’s chairman, said he wanted to push people to get vaccinated.
Oakley added that “almost everyone” at the advertising agency had been vaccinated with StarMed. To promote the center and their vaccination campaign, the agency purchased a mobile billboard from digital outdoor advertising company Crenshaw Visions.
“A lot of pro-vaccine ads are very straightforward. We thought, ‘Is there a way to change this and do it from a different angle ?,” Oakley told Newsweek.
Dr Arin Piramzadian, chief medical officer of StarMed Healthcare, told local media Charlotte Observer that StarMed had not paid any part of the marketing stunt, but had expressed support.
“If it saves a person’s life by getting vaccinated, I agree 100%,” Piramzadian told The Observer.
“We know that 99% of people who end up in hospital and die are not vaccinated,” he added. “If that statistic doesn’t scare people off, I don’t know what makes it. Maybe an aspect of dark humor like this catches someone’s attention.”
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