The Australian government has aired a confronting and graphic ad warning all to: “Stay home. Get tested. Book your vaccination.“
The 30-second ad shows a young woman on a ventilator in a hospital bed, gasping for her breath. It has aired just following the news of Australia’s first coronavirus death of 2021.
Reactions have been divided, with some criticising its shocking depiction of the virus, and some arguing it is a necessary warning of the real threat of coronavirus.
Adjunct Professor at UNSW and Strategic Health Policy Consultant, Bill Bowtelm made a statement via Twitter, stating that:
“(t)his ad should be immediately taken off air. Today in Sydney a young girl with Covid – about the same age as the actor in the ad – is on a ventilator fighting for her life. This insensitive ad can only distress her family and friends. It is misconceived in every way.”
As an ICU specialist please know that we’d never deliberately let you suffer like that. We’d try to get increased support before it got that bad.
— tom solano (@stuperbug) July 11, 2021
Journalist Marc Fennel also highlighted the hypocrisy of the ad, saying: “(f)rankly, I’m glad that this ad carries the Australian Govt logo so you know precisely who to blame for this woman’s circumstances. She’s clearly under 40 and has had no access to *any* vaccine til last week. If they’d done their job properly, she wouldn’t be in that bed.”
However, before the ad began running on television, Australia’s Chief Medical Officer Paul Kelly affirmed that: “it is quite graphic and it’s meant to be graphic“.
Commander of the Vaccine Taskforce Lieutenant General John Frewen added:
“We didn’t use it lightly”.
Speaking to Today, he insisted that: “(t)here was serious consideration given to whether it was required and we took expert advice.”
Over in New Zealand, many are praising a new ad encouraging vaccination.
The ad takes a positive approach, reminding people of what returning to normal life may look like as vaccination rates rise.
It boasts the encouraging slogan “(d)o it for each other,” and fosters a sense of collective action and community.
Some have compared Australia’s new ad to the 1980s “Grim Reaper” ad about HIV, which was similarly criticised for its graphic nature.
The ad was originally filmed last year. However, it was only deemed necessary this year as the Delta variant has recently spread rapidly through NSW.
Still trying to wrap my head around the comms strategy of running an advert that ends with the message, “book your vaccine” when the people targeted by the ad are not yet eligible to be vaccinated. Scotty from Marketing is particularly bad at marketing. (And vaccination rollouts)
— Jill Stark (@jillastark) July 11, 2021
Today, NSW reported 112 locally acquired coronavirus cases, 34 of which were infectious within the community. The Premier repeated that she is aiming for a number “close to zero before … lockdown can end.“.
This is effective but terrifying given younger Australians like myself are still not eligible to be vaccinated. My strategy is stay inside alone until I can, but let me tell you it’s tough on the old mental health.
— Liz Grey ✨ (@lizgreyt) July 11, 2021
