Mid April 2020 saw the Ad Council continue its programme of informing the American public about the coronavirus crisis and making sure they are receiving the critical and vetted information about Covid-19 pandemic through a partnership with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
The US national non-profit and the global wrestling giant launched a new set of PSAs featuring big name wrestling stars handing out official information and guidance.
The idea set up is that while wrestling may be seen as a fun and dramatic form of sporting entertainment packed with over the top plotlines and bombastic moves, the messages in this campaign are not for entertainment or for humour.
The creative is fronted by WWE Champion Drew McIntyre, NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte Flair and superstar Kofi Kingston and the executions all stress the importance of practicing good hygiene.
Spot such as ‘Protect Yourself And Others’ were amplified across the WWE’s online channels and promoted by the Ad Council nationwide.
The national PSAs aired on television and online platforms in donated media time and space.
The partnership further strengthens the Ad Council’s COVID-19 outreach and focuses on washing hands and good hygiene and offers an interesting targeting strategy as the majority of WWE fans are more than 50-years old – so many are in the most vulnerable segment of the population.
“Our partners at WWE have been by our side to educate Americans on so many issues and we’re truly grateful to them and their Superstars for joining us again now when so many lives depend on these critical messages being heard,” said Lisa Sherman, president & CEO of the Ad Council. “As the days slowly pass and we learn more about the virus, encouraging Americans to stay safe is our duty as marketers.”
Comment:
The WWE alliance follows on from previous Ad Council alliances with The White House, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and leading technology and digital platforms as it seeks to spread the message about social distancing.
Since 13 March, WWE has been broadcasting Raw, Smackdown, NXT and Wrestlemania 36 from the WWE Performance Center in Orlando (Florida) with no audience.
It has certainly been a busy few weeks at WWE, which whilst being declared an essential service in Florida, also laid off some of its biggest stars to save money on 15 April when after furloughing some of its production staff it made 22 star wrestlers redundant as it sought to cut $4m in costs.
Links:
WWE
https://www.youtube.com/user/WWEFanNation
https://www.instagram.com/wwe/
Ad Council
https://www.facebook.com/adcouncil
https://www.youtube.com/user/adcouncil
https://www.instagram.com/adcouncil/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-advertising-council/
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