Shoulda Got The Shot? Missing The Mark With Vaccine Holdouts

Frank Kilpatrick, like so many others, is alarmed that some 30 percent of the U.S. population haven’t received a COVID-19 Vaccine. So, he and his team of concerned citizens, have come together to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) Campaign, aimed at moving the needle, (literally,) on these numbers. The thinking behind their project? If what we’re doing isn’t working, it’s time to shift gears.

“Clearly, Vaccine holdouts aren’t receptive to the current top-down ‘science and shame’ approaches, aimed at persuading them to get the jab,” says Kilpatrick, the Campaign’s Executive Producer, a Songwriter and The Director Of The Non-Profit Organization, Ribbons For Research. “So, we’ve come up with a more heartfelt, emotional, non-preachy, politically neutral approach, we believe will resonate and move these groups to take action.”

Kilpatrick’s collaborators on the Project include: Director Eric Mittleman, Producer Linda Kilpatrick and Associate Producer, Rayko Takahashi.

The Shoulda Got The Shot Campaign, features portrayals and testimonials from real people, who have been seriously ill or lost a loved one due to COVID-19. Kilpatrick is hoping that media outlets across the U.S. will lend their support by placing these PSA's into rotation, in their local markets.

So far, the following TV spots have been completed:

30-second “Ripped From the Headlines” Shoulda Got the Shot: Go to: https://vimeo.com/592352092/ca9df9a15f

60-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Go to:
https://vimeo.com/592352211/695dc61f29

30-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Go to:
https://vimeo.com/592352114/b168c4eb81

SPANISH 30-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Go to:
https://vimeo.com/592352170/fb4eae5e3f

To understand more about why Kilpatrick and his team, have decided to devote so much time and so many resources, into creating this PSA Project, here is a quick mini interview with him:

Q: Who Does The Shoulda Get The Shot Campaign Target?

A: We’re aiming this campaign at various underserved populations: politically polarized, lower income, minority and rural audiences. We have similar social media strategies, aimed at the younger “party hardy” populations, that feel invincible.

Q: Why Is It So Urgent?

A: Currently, The U.S. Vaccination Rate, stands at 71 percent. This is not enough to achieve herd immunity, which could be essential to our very survival and at any rate, many areas of the U.S., are far below this 71 percent figure.

Quite simply, the more holdouts we can convince to get the shot, the more lives we’ll save and with the Delta Variant raging, we cannot afford to wait.

Q: What Makes This Campaign Different?

A: Our Shoulda Got The Shot? PSA Campaign, doesn’t lecture its audience. It isn’t a blatant endorsement by politicians and scientists. It doesn’t tell people what to think. Our approach is based on the most proven types of human persuasion and human connection. These testimonials are raw, emotional and real. People will be more likely to trust these spokespeople, in a way that they’d never be likely to trust a politician or scientist. These are just regular people, who look like them.

I mean, you can feel Martha’s anguish, when her voice breaks as she talks about how her Daddy died from a hole in his lung caused by COVID-19. When she goes on to encourage others to get Vaccinated, it’s clear that it comes from a genuine desire to prevent suffering and these spots are incredibly compelling.

Q: So… Why You? What Drove You To Launch This Campaign?

A: First, this is a cause I deeply care about. I feel much the same way about it, as I felt about, The Stay Alive Suicide Prevention Documentary Film, that I produced, 18 months ago. But also, thanks to my work in the healthcare communications field, I have many years of experience in producing these kinds of permission-based approaches that feature an appeal to the community's agreement and from experience, I know that this is a powerful strategy.

“I really have a lot of hope for this campaign,” adds Kilpatrick. “If we all join together, to share these vital messages, we can help improve the numbers in Under-Vaccinated communities, across the U.S. We can save lives and ultimately, perhaps, even our own.”

If you know someone who may be on the fence about the Vaccine or just want to share this information with a friend or family member, share one of the links of the TV spots listed earlier in the article. It may just save their life!