In an effort to throttle up awareness of whooping cough, or pertussis, Sanofi Pasteur and the March of Dimes enlisted NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon to lead their ongoing Sounds of Pertussis campaign. Jennifer Lopez was previously the celebrity face of the campaign.
PSAs starring Gordon will launch on national TV and radio outlets in August, according to Lori Lukus, a Sanofi Pasteur spokesperson, and will encourage parents to protect themselves by getting a pertussis booster shot. Print, online and patient education materials are also being used, according to a statement. Agencies working on the campaign include Burson-Marsteller, Victory Management Group, Kaplan Thaler Group, Publicis Modem and Optimedia, according to Lukus.
Other campaign elements include a website (SoundsofPertussis.com) and Facebook page. By texting “SOUNDS” to 292929, participants will receive a text message five days later reminding them to get vaccinated. From the campaign website, visitors can check out Jeff Gordon’s “favorite road tunes,” and download the songs from iTunes. For every song downloaded (selections run the musical gamut, from U2, Sheryl Crow and Rascal Flatts, to Rihanna, Ke$ha and Disney movie scores), 5% of the proceeds will go to the March of Dimes for pertussis education, according to the statement.
Sanofi Pasteur is donating $0.10 for each of the first 50,000 new people who “like” the Sounds of Pertussis page on Facebook. At press time, nearly 14,000 people “liked” the page.
Sanofi Pasteur markets Adacel, know as a “Tdap” vaccine (an acronym for tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis). Lukus said all Sounds of Pertussis campaign elements are unbranded, and the March of Dimes “does not endorse specific products or brands,” according to the statement.
Pertussis, which can be deadly in young children, is known for the whooping cough sound created by air being drawn through excess mucus in the body. This year through June 5, over 4,000 cases have been reported.
From the August 01, 2010 Issue of MM+M - Medical Marketing and Media
