NFL, MLB, NBA, NHL, Willie Nelson Team For Covid Vaccine Awareness Campaign

By Barry Janoff

March 23, 2021: The Ad Council and Covid Collaborative have joined forces with the NFL, MLB, NBA and other pro sports leagues nationwide and iconic singer Willie Nelson in a multi-media campaign intended to raise awareness for the safety of and growing accessibility to COVID-19 vaccines.

The PSA campaign, an extension of  the COVID-19 Vaccine Education Initiative, "It's Up To You,” is anchored by a spot, “Back In The Game,” in which emotional moments in sports between athletes and fans are played out to Nelson singing a new rendition of  his hit, ”I’ll Be Seeing You,” recorded specifically to be featured within this campaign.

Nelson, who received his COVID-19 vaccination earlier this year, aided the effort pro bono. 

The campaign was developed pro bono by creative agency, Pereira O'Dell, in collaboration with the leagues and organizations.

The 13 sports leagues and organizations include the American Horse Council, Athletes Unlimited, MLB, MLS, Nascar, NBA, NFL, NHL, NWSL, PGA Tour, U.S. Open Tennis, WNBA and WWE.

"We are pleased to partner with the Ad Council and other leading sports leagues on this critical vaccine education campaign," Stephanie McMahon, WWE chief brand officer, said via the organization.

"WWE's fans are our secret sauce and we can't wait to safely get them back to our live events soon."

The Ad Council and Covid Collaborative said the campaign underlines the “urgency for continued mass communication efforts that provide audiences with answers to the top questions people have about the COVID-19 vaccines.”

“(This campaign) 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,” PJ Pereira, creative chairman, Pereira O'Dell, said via the agency.

“The goal is to have other partners take this song and this idea and make it theirs too.”

The PSA’s will run during sports programming for the leagues and organizations involved, in-arena and in-stadium and via digital and social media.

According to Ad Council research fielded by Ipsos in February, approximately 40% of the American public remains undecided about getting a COVID-19 vaccination.

Of that undecided population, only 56% say they feel confident they have enough information to guide their decision about getting a COVID-19 vaccination, compared to 96% of those already committed.

More than 80% said the are “eager to get back to the moments and people they miss, including sporting events.”

Separately, new data from Bully Pulpit Interactive shows that” 28% of hesitant Americans say they are inspired and more likely to get vaccinated when prompted to get back to sporting events.”

Among the highlights in “Back In The Game” from recent sports events are Naomi Osaka and Coco Gauff's emotional hug after their match in the 2019 U.S. Open, Pete Alonso hitting a game-winning home run for the New York Mets, Mike Trout taking time to sign autographs for fans  on the ball field, Zion Williamson dunking during a pickup game in a neighborhood playground, Jordan Spieth's celebration after winning the 2017 Travelers Championship and a WWE crowd chanting for Finn Bálor.

Text offers, “COVID-19 vaccines are here. We’ll see you soon.”

"The NBA and WNBA family recognizes that reaching our fans with health and safety messages has the ability to save lives, and we remain committed to using our platform to inform as many people as possible,” NBA CMO Kate Jhaveri said via the league.

“Joining the Ad Council and COVID Collaborative's new campaign with the other participating professional sports leagues will help further our efforts to encourage fans to learn more about COVID-19 vaccines.”

According to Lisa Sherman, Ad Council president and CEO, “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.”

Back to Home Page