Late-night host Jimmy Kimmel wore a white lab coat and head mirror strapped to his forehead on his talk show last month and talked about Covid-19 vaccines that use messenger RNA. “This technology could be a real game-changer,” he says.
The skit was sponsored by vaccine maker Moderna Inc., one of a number of direct-to-consumer advertisements paid for by pharmaceutical companies aimed at hesitancy and lack of awareness toward vaccines and drugs for Covid-19.
Vaccine maker Pfizer Inc. has made ads featuring people spending time with loved ones that conclude by asking “Why will you get vaccinated?” Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc., maker of a monoclonal antibody drug treatment, recently began running ads on television, radio and social media. Eli Lilly & Co., maker of a rival antibody therapy, has ads on social media and search engines targeted at people in areas with high infection rates.
Moderna’s consumer outreach is primarily focused on digital advertising, says the company, including the sponsorship of online video discussions on a news website focused on historically Black colleges and universities.
