More than a dozen US professional leagues and rights owners partnered with the Ad Council and agency Pereira O’Dell for a vaccine Public Service Announcement (PSA) called ‘Back In The Game’ which features packed stadiums and spectacular sporting moments.
The sports-focused spot continues the Ad Council’s vaccination PSA promotional by celebrating the camaraderie and energy of sports supporters in full stadiums – none of which can be possible without the mass vaccination programme.
More than a dozen US pro leagues supported the initiative, including the American Horse Council, Athletes Unlimited, Major League Baseball, Major League Soccer, NASCAR, the NBA, the NFL, the NHL, the National Women’s Soccer League, the PGA TOUR, the US Open, the WNBA and WWE.
The 90-second spot was created pro bono by agency Pereira O’Dell and includes footage of standout sporting moments ranging from Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff’s emotional hug after the 2019 US Open, Jordan Spieth’s no-look hole-out from the bunker to win the 2017 Travelers Championship and Finn Balor working up a WWE crowd, alongside other memorable and intimate moments of athletes interacting with fans all set to a new rendition of ‘I’ll Be Seeing You’ recorded by Willie Nelson for the campaign.
Launched on 23 March, ‘Back In The Game’ encourage fans to get the latest accurate information on the COVID-19 vaccines and steers viewers to the Ad Council’s vaccination information portal.
The campaign states: ‘As the COVID-19 vaccines become available you might be asking yourself—should I get it? And if I do, will I be able to go about life, without putting my family at risk? You’ve got questions, and that’s normal. The fact is, the vaccines are safe, effective, and they’re going to save lives. To get the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccines, visit GetVaccineAnswers.org. Because getting back to the moments we miss starts with getting informed.’
“Sports and sports moments hold a special place in the hearts of millions of people across our country and, regardless of who you’re rooting for, we’re all looking forward to getting back to the arenas, stadiums and moments we miss,” said Lisa Sherman, president and CEO of the Ad Council. “We’re grateful for the extraordinary collaboration and commitment from all of our partner leagues and organizations and Willie Nelson for lending his voice to these powerful PSAs. We know this work will inspire Americans and encourage them to get the latest information on the COVID-19 vaccines.”
“I’m happy to be part of this new campaign with the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative and these sports organizations to empower millions more to get the answers they need and feel confident in getting vaccinated, like I did,” added Nelson who received a COVID-19 vaccination earlier this year and recorded the track pro bono specifically to be featured within the new PSAs.
“In the song, I sing ‘I’ll be seeing you in all the old familiar places,’ and that’s exactly what I hope these PSAs will help do: help get Americans informed about the vaccines and one step closer to the people and moments we miss,” added the multiple Grammy-winning musician. “I’m happy to be part of this new campaign with the Ad Council, COVID Collaborative and these sports organizations to empower millions more to get the answers they need and feel confident in getting vaccinated, like I did.”
“This is the same song we used on our previous spot, but done with a completely different vibe, just for this story we are telling. That allows the leagues and organizations to have their own voice in this battle against the pandemic at the same time they are part of a larger movement. The goal is to have other partners take this song and this idea and make it theirs too,” explained PJ Pereira Creative Chairman Pereira O’Dell.
Comment:
Since the pandemic was declared in March 2020, the Ad Council (a US non-profit bringing the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing together to address the nation’s most important causes) has worked with the industry and with UNITE’s COVID Collaborative on an unprecedented, multi-strand communication programme to combat COVID-19 which, thus far, has generated 44bn impressions, $456m in donated media value and more than 33m visits to Coronavirus.gov.
The objective behind the PSA is to use sport to target fans and remind them that the joy and exhilaration of experiencing sporting events together in person will return if they get vaccinated.
According to Ad Council research, handled by Ipsos in February, around 40% of the American public remain undecided about getting a COVID-19 vaccination and of those only 56% say they feel confident they have enough information to guide their decision about getting a COVID-19 vaccination.
But more than 80% of them say they are eager to get back to the moments and people they miss, including sporting events.
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