The challenge of the Advertising Council: persuading skeptics to believe in Covid vaccines



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Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania conducted a study during a measles outbreak last year and concluded that “a relatively high number of people are at least somewhat uninformed about vaccines,” often voicing concerns. mistaken beliefs about the association of treatments with autism and toxins. The researchers also found a correlation between belief in vaccine misinformation and lack of trust in medical authorities, as well as exposure to vaccine material on social media.

Steve Danehy, a spokesperson for Pfizer, said in an email that “educating the public about the need for vaccination, as well as the rigorous process by which vaccines were developed, is essential.”

Public messaging campaigns can be essential in persuading people to take action during a health crisis. Travel advisories have driven many pregnant tourists and business travelers away from areas struggling to contain the Zika outbreak in 2016, for example.

The marketing plan for a coronavirus vaccine must convince people that the treatment is safe and effective, while providing practical instructions on where people can get the vaccine and how they can make appointments, said Dolores Albarracin, professor of psychology, business and medicine at the University. from Illinois to Urbana-Champaign.

“If you don’t include information on how to do the vaccination, a simple favorable attitude will not lead people to the vaccination site,” she said. “Without an understanding of the psychological and socio-structural processes leading to vaccination, it will be difficult to convince the 47% of people who do not intend to be vaccinated to do so.”

Research by Covid Collaborative suggests that less than 20% of black Americans believe a vaccine will be safe or effective. Many respondents said they had little confidence in the government’s ability to look after their interests or cited mistrust stemming from past ethics violations, such as the infamous Tuskegee study, which followed black men infected with syphilis but did not treat them.

“In these very vulnerable communities that are disproportionately affected by Covid, it’s a great confidence-building exercise from scratch,” said John Bridgeland, one of the founders and CEO of Covid Collaborative. “They trust their doctors, their pharmacists, so we have to be very local to have trusted messengers.”

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