The UK government has embarked on a major nationwide campaign, devised to encourage people to protect themselves and their loved ones from Covid and the flu as the UK prepares itself for its second pandemic winter.
The winter "Boost your immunity" campaign is aimed at those eligible for the winter vaccines in an effort to build immunity ahead of a possible rise in flu cases coinciding with continuing or rising Covid-19 cases.
It was created by a cross-agency collaboration between MullenLowe, Manning Gottlieb OMD, Freuds, Multicultural Marketing Consultancy and 23red.
The TV advert, "Get vaccinated, get boosted, get protected" features NHS nurse Michelle, who explains the benefits of the flu jab and Covid-19 booster vaccine.
To support the national vaccine drive, the campaign will run on outdoor billboards, broadcast and community radio and TV.
The multimedia campaign will launch on this Friday 22 October, with primetime spots alongside Emmerdale and Coronation Street as well as daytime shows such as This Morning and Loose Women.
Leading pharmacies including Boots, Lloyds Pharmacy, Asda and a number of independent pharmacies, have also joined forces to encourage those eligible to get their free flu vaccine and Covid-19 booster jab as soon as possible.
Secretary of state for health and social care, Sajid Javid, said: “Our Covid-19 vaccine programme continues to be a phenomenal success and is building a wall of defence across the country. Our booster rollout is now well underway with more than four million jabs given.
“As we go into winter, it is vital that eligible people come forward not only for their booster jab, to maintain the vital protection of the Covid-19 vaccine, but also for their flu jab, in order to protect themselves, their loved ones and the NHS.
“This is a national effort and I’m hugely grateful to pharmacists and all the NHS staff helping get jabs in arms. It is fantastic to see some of our biggest high street pharmacies give their backing to the winter vaccination programme so we can protect as many people as possible.”
Tom Knox, chairman at MullenLowe, said: “We wanted a graphic representation of the protection both flu and Covid-19 booster vaccinations provide. The ‘rings of protection’ and the authoritative voices of health care professionals deliver this vital message in a simple, powerful way.”
