Digital Audio Helps Spread Positive Word on COVID-19 Vaccines

In February a Pandora survey revealed high levels of COVID19 vaccine mistrust among its listeners particularly among listeners who identify as Black or Latinx To promote vaccinations Anna Clement Pandora39s director of healthcare advised marketers to speak to the heart of listeners39 needs and worries rather than simply running generic spotsquotThe concerns that a Black millennial mom has about getting the COVID vaccine are very different from the concerns a 55yearold male with heart disease may have and it39s imperative that messaging reflect that so more people make the decision to get vaccinatedquot Clement saidquotWe have to be able to reestablish trust and build that rapport to engage with communities of color particularly marginalized communities who may feel that their interests are not prioritizing in terms of their health or treatmentquot Dr Garth Walker an emergency room physician and deputy director of the Illinois Department of Public Health said on a recent Pandora for Brands webinar to help healthcare systems design messaging to promote COVID19 vaccination effortsWith thoughtful and targeted messages healthcare advertisers can help break down some of these barriers Pandora and its sister companies SiriusXM and SoundCloud reach 45 percent of Americans each month with audiences that span racial ethnic and demographic groups With troves of proprietary data Pandora places targeted ads to reach specific audiences by content mood or location even down to ZIP CodequotDatadriven streaming audio platforms like Pandora can offer personalized targeted messaging solutions to address vaccinerelated fears so healthcare partners can build trust engagement and momentum within the communities they servequot Clement saidTo date more than 59 million Americans are fully vaccination against COVID19 according to the latest Centers for Disease Control data and states are rapidly opening eligibility to all adults Yet some Americans have said they39re reluctant to get the vaccine including people of color and white men who identify as Republican Healthcare providers want to convince these people to get their shots and quicklyWhat to Say to Vaccine Hesitant AmericansWhen it comes to creative Dr Walker suggested healthcare advertisers share factual information on the vaccine and tips on disease prevention He recommended using data specific to BIPOC communities such as research from the National Medical Association a group that represents Black physicians which independently evaluated clinical trials for bias and representation and endorsed the vaccine for Black and Hispanic individuals He said ads could feature medical providers from individual communities or wellknown community leaders and even highlight that Black women helped develop the vaccinequotThe most effective messaging at least during the pandemic entails having a trusted partner and start from a safe space of nonjudgement and respecting science Usually the trusted partner with a medical provider can help alleviate concerns as well make individuals more receptive to informationquot Dr Walker saidSome of the mistrust for the COVID19 vaccine is influenced by past experiences that occurred long before this current pandemic Dr Walker noted In some communities he said people of color have a history of difficulty accessing highquality health care and vaccines These experiences have left some deep scars forcing today39s public health campaigns to work doubletime to establish relationships and promote the current COVID19 vaccination effortsBy partnering with a digital audio service including Pandora healthcare systems improve their chances to break through quotWe have an ideal platform to help our healthcare advertisers educate reach and resonate with millions of people who have very different concerns and hesitancies surrounding the vaccinequot Clement saidConsider Voice and ToneWhen creating audio campaigns who is voicing the spots and how they39re speaking is extremely important noted Roger Gehrmann executive creative director of Pandora39s inhouse creative agency Studio ResonatequotAudio is particularly good at generating trustquot he said quotIf you have the right voice a voice that is a trusted voice and a recognized voice saying something literally in someone39s ear you can39t get a more intimate platform that the ability to speak into someone39s ear you can create a sense of trust that is very different than creating a sense of trust on a screen on TV or a sense of trust in an ad space on a website like banner adquotDone properly Gehrmann said digital audio campaigns are intimate and highly effective Pandora research shows listeners respond best to conversational and empathetic tones rather than shouting or fearmongering They enjoy narrative stories and sharing useful actionable information When possible the voice talent should sound like a member of the intended audience39s community Gehrmann said For instance to reach Latinx users he suggested mixing in Spanish or creating Spanishlanguage spotsTo assist healthcare advertisers Studio Resonate can plan produce and deploy customized campaigns backed by Pandora39s rich data and analytics Pandora39s dynamic audio capabilities allow it to change messaging within a national campaign allowing ads to be targeted by location or demographics including allowing ads to be targeted by demographics making ads more relevant and personalizedFor instance Gehrmann explained quotOlder generations Baby Boomer and older are looking for more direct information on when and where they can get vaccinations while younger generations Generation X and more digitalnatives are looking for more information from a trust source onlinequotPandora is the lead audio partner on the Ad Council39s COVID19 messaging campaigns and Gehrmann said that39s given his team insights on what works well and how listeners respondTo promote inclusivity Pandora is rethinking its diversity in its own work To better reflect the composition of its audience which includes 40 percent listeners of color Studio Resonate is committed to working with more people of color for its voice work producing editing and directing Gehrmann said The company aims to cast voices of color 50 percent of the timeAs vaccination rates are steadily improving among BIPOC communities and other vaccine hesitant groups Dr Walker said healthcare systems need to keep educating Americans about the COVID19 vaccine and how they can help reduce transmissionquotThis pandemic has touched everyone in communities the businessmen teachers everyone39s grandparentsquot Dr Walker said quotIn order for us to fight this virus we have to have everyone involved everybody wearing a mask everybody physically distancing everybody washing their hands and trying to make sure people understand that their actions help save livesquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do 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Digital Audio Helps Spread Positive Word on COVID-19 Vaccines

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Alli Romano

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