The pinned Facebook campaign of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC gov) was selected for analysis. The post encourages people to get a booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. There is also a link to a website with more information about where to get the vaccine and its importance. The campaign had to be conducted differently since the post got numerous reactions and comments, many of which were unfavourable.
The target audience is the entire US adult population who should be vaccinated against COVID-19. However, in the post, there is an appeal only to those planning their trip. This is not a good reception since the CDC gov is reducing the audience because the vaccine is needed not only for travel. The secondary audience of the campaign is those who plan to spend holidays in the company of relatives or friends.
The campaign’s central message is that those who do not have the vaccine should get a booster vaccine. The message could be more precise because the call to make a vaccine appears only at the end. This post is not convincing because it begins with words that undermine the credibility of vaccines “although too many lives have been lost to COVID-19 since the start of the pandemic” (CDC, 2020). This campaign could have been made better and more persuasive. It was worth pointing out in the post the importance of the booster vaccine and its positive effect on the fight against COVID-19. It is also important to immediately respond to possible objections from the audience by pointing out that the vaccine has no side effects.
In conclusion, the recent Facebook campaign from the CDC government has a good and important goal, but the execution could be better. The campaign’s creators narrowed the pool of potential participants, indicating that the appeal to the target audience needed to be made properly. The main message might have been more persuasive if it had explicitly mentioned the vaccine’s advantages and addressed any scepticism right away.
Reference
CDC. (2022). This month marks two years since the first COVID-19 vaccine was administered in the U.S [Video attached] [Status update]. Facebook. Web.