Objective

Situation Analysis
Many Americans are ready to move on from COVID-19 if they haven’t already – especially those who deem themselves as “healthy.” But the reality is that >75% of American adults have at least one risk factor, such as asthma, diabetes, being 50+, depression and being overweight (among several others) for getting very sick from COVID-19. Most didn’t know they were at high risk – or that there are treatments that prevent serious illness and hospitalization.  

In January 2023, Pfizer, maker of the antiviral PAXLOVID, launched "Know Plan Go," an unbranded campaign to empower people to know whether they are at high-risk for severe COVID-19, make a plan to help prevent serious illness and, if they get COVID-19, talk to their doctor about a prescription treatment option.

The multichannel campaign engaged a diverse group of influential people with risk factors for severe COVID: P!NK, Michael Phelps, Jean Smart and Questlove.  It drove media coverage that was off the charts and high spikes in website traffic with an engaged view rate of 31%. Importantly, testing showed 70% of high-risk viewers chose to plan ahead or ask their doctors about prescription treatment options.

Campaign Objectives 
Overcome COVID fatigue so everyone at high risk for severe COVID-19 self-identifies and makes a plan for treatment.

Strategy

Research & Insights 

• While more than 75% of American adults have at least one risk factor for getting very sick from COVID-19, the striking majority do not know they are high risk 
  • Without knowing what the risk factors are, they do not identify or understand their personal risk of severe illness from COVID-19. So they are not having conversations about treatment options with their HCPs in advance of, or at diagnosis. 
     
• Too many people do not know oral treatment exists so they are not planning for it should they get COVID-19.  
  • People understood vaccines but getting them to understand what an antiviral is and the significance, as compared to a vaccine, was critical, yet challenging.
     
• There are barriers to reaching people at high risk for COVID-19.  
  • HCPs are not clear about the right patient to prescribe treatment and are especially concerned about drug-drug interactions among high-risk patients. They also fear that people who test positive won’t act fast enough to make treatment effective within the limited 5-day time window.  

Strategy
Given people’s mindset about COVID, a campaign that simply pointed out facts and highlighted risk factors was unlikely to spark self-evaluation or action. Success needed to be rooted in raising awareness in a more compelling way.  

We leaned into the cultural insight that people trust celebrity opinions when they are authentic and meaningful. Sharing truths would allow people to reflect on their own health risks more deeply. So, we partnered with highly relatable fellow Americans—diverse in their high-risk factors and demographics—who opened up and shared their own “high-risk status” and COVID stories, putting faces on these vital messages.  

Strategically, we focused on risk factors most might not consider — to drive urgent self-reflection (how does depression make me high risk?) – through a positive, uplifting, empowering approach. 

Execution & Tactics
Know Plan Go launched on January 12th, 2023, with surround-sound activations to grab the attention of a highly diverse audience in a distracted COVID-fatigued world.

Tactics:

• Owned social content driving to the Know Plan Go microsite, featuring a compelling video focused on championing ownership of one’s health, while highlighting the simple/impactful call-to-action​: Know Plan Go.
• Additional content shared by influencers, Pfizer leaders, and on Pfizer channels.
• Digital ads across high-traffic sites.
• Display banner advertising
• Launched the TV spot featuring our celebrities: “A Whole Different Ballgame,” designed to make it OK to have a COVID-19 high-risk factor (supported by aggressive media buys).

At-and-Post launch: 

• Pulsed out multiple social campaigns across Pfizer, celebrity and 18 influencer channels, resulting in over 10M engagements.
• Earned media amplified our celebrities’ COVID-19 stories, most notably during PAXLOVID FDA approval.
  • Jean Smart’s earned media day netted articles on People/Yahoo/EatingWell and sparked a 444% increase in website traffic.  
  • Sponsored article in MensHealth.com about Michael Phelps’ story was viewed 30k+ times, with an average time-spent-on-page 5x the industry standard.
• Market research throughout the campaign confirmed the content tone/approach was well-received.
• A toolkit for Pfizer global markets/patient advocacy groups, a print ad and magazine reached additional audiences.

Results

The paid, earned, owned and shared campaign drove 774K website visits to KnowPlanGo.com which generated an engaged visitor rate of 31%. Website traffic increased by 47.7% when the TV spot first aired and hit an all-time high when it played during the Grammys.

• There were more than 13,000 clicks on the “Assess Your Risk” button on the website, where users could assess their COVID risk.

The campaign resulted in 10M social impressions across Pfizer social, influencer, and celebrity, resulting in a social media engagement rate of 23.82%. The second strongest traffic driver to the website, outside of display which drove 278k visits was from Pfizer’s paid social, at 149k visits.

ComScore research showed that 70% of high-risk viewers chose to plan ahead or ask their doctors about prescription treatment options when asked to choose a single action after viewing the ad. The celebrities were not only likeable and believable, but also delivered this important COVID-19 message in a way that made people stop and care.

Know Plan Go also drove off-the-chart earned media coverage– 1.4 Billion impressions.

Media