Czech social media influencers join national campaign promoting vaccinations against COVID-19
The campaign to support vaccinations against COVID-19 is ramping up this month in the Czech Republic. Social media influencers are joining the campaign also now that the opportunity for younger age groups to be vaccinated has opened up.
Hobby groups like hunters’ unions, Junák (Scouts) and Orel (Christian sports) will be part of the campaign, as will organizations representing national minorities and religious communities. The Cesta ven (Way Out) initiative, which is creating the campaign for the state, informed the Czech News Agency of the news on 28 May.
Currently people age 30 and above are able to access the vaccine. Because the campaign needs to reach younger and younger people, its authors have agreed to collaborate with popular figures who are considered credible by different target groups.
The campaign has already been supported free of charge by moderator Libor Bouček, YouTuber Lukáš Fritscher, actor and fine artist Ester Geislerová, actor and moderator Aleš Háma, YouTuber Adam Lysek, singer Adam Mišík, actor Iva Pazderková, and the singer Victoria Velvet. As the pandemic recedes and people fear infection less, the campaign will focus more on the advantages of vaccination, i.e., on the fact that vaccinated people will not have to regularly undergo tests and that it will be significantly easier for them to travel.
The initiative has also reached out to more than 50 national minorities, religious communities, and others. The House of National Minorities is preparing translations of the campaign materials for the largest minorities in the Czech Republic.
Several interest groups will also be involved and the initiative says the Czech-Moravian Hunters’ Union, Junák and Orel have already confirmed they will cooperate in the campaign. The initiative is making the background materials and concept of the campaign available free of charge to anybody interested.
The website komunikacepomaha.cz features those background materials for use. The South Moravian Region has already made use of the campaign and the authorities of Pardubice, South Bohemia and the Ústecký Region are also preparing to do so.
Businesses that have joined the campaign included Komerční banka, Mondelez and Třinecké železárny. It has been running since 12 April.
During the past month the campaign has broadcast about 700 public service announcements on the commercial television stations TV NOVA and Prima that have reached about six million people, according to the initiative. During May it also ran on the public broadcaster Czech Television, including a version for people with hearing impairment.
During April the online campaign reached 2.23 million Internet users and the print media version reached about 5.4 million people, according to the initiative. The radio section broadcast 750 public service announcements during the first two weeks and during May expanded to include public broadcaster Czech Radio and its stations.
The authors of the campaign say it doubled in strength last month. Its aim, based on the slogan “Let’s Put a Full Stop to the Coronavirus” (Udělejme tečku za koronavirem) is for at least 70 % of the adult population to get vaccinated.
The Office of the Czech Government has paid CZK 4.2 million [EUR 167 000] exclusive of VAT for Cesta ven‘s campaign and the Czech Health Ministry is buying media slots worth up to CZK 50 million [EUR 1.96 million]. The Remmark Agency is procuring the advertising time for the ministry.
