Los Angeles, CA (September 2021)—As the Delta variant burns through the U.S., positive cases, hospitalizations, and deaths are rising at shocking rates. And the great divide between the vaxed and unvaxed in terms of who ends up critically ill continues. You might assume daily exposure to scary hospitalization comparison charts (all of us have seen them) would convince the nearly 30% of Americans who haven’t gotten the jab to do so.
You’d assume wrong, says Frank Kilpatrick.
“Many people just aren’t moved by data,” says Kilpatrick, who has come together with a team of concerned citizens to create a Public Service Announcement (PSA) campaign titled Shoulda Got the Shot. “If facts and figures moved us to change our thinking and behavior, we’d all be slender, healthy, and wealthy. We’d eat right, exercise, and not smoke.
“Humans are emotional creatures,” he adds. “While we tell ourselves that we base our life choices on facts, there’s no getting away from the truth that around 80% of our decisions are made from the heart, and 20% with the mind. Connect data to something people both feel and think about and they will act.”
That’s why Kilpatrick–the campaign’s Executive Producer, a songwriter and the director of non-profit organization Ribbons for Research—decided to aim for the heart, not the head. His campaign’s non-preachy, politically neutral approach features emotional (sometimes painful) appeals from real people who’ve lost loved ones to COVID.
Kilpatrick’s collaborators on the project include Director Eric Mittleman, Producer Linda Kilpatrick, and Associate Producer Rayko Takahashi. In-kind contributors to this non-profit initiative also include Boom Broadcast, Gipson Hoffman & Pancione, Steve Morris, MD, Kelton Jones, Shoshana Goodman, Rain Balen, Joey Felix, Angela Fisher and Tayna Domasco.
The Shoulda Got the Shot campaign features portrayals and testimonials from real people who have been seriously ill or lost a loved one due to COVID-19. Kilpatrick is hoping media outlets across the U.S. will lend their support by placing these PSAs into rotation in their local markets.
So far, the following TV spots have been completed:
30-second “Ripped From the Headlines” Shoulda Got the Shot: Click here.
60-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Click here.
30-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Click here.
SPANISH 30-second “Real People” Shoulda Got the Shot: Click here.
Radio spots are available as well.
Additionally, a Music Video with the theme of “Covid-19 Is Hell”—stressing “It’s Not A Hoax”— has been created to target Millennial and Gen Z populations. Click here to view it.
To understand more about why Kilpatrick and team have decided to devote so much time and resources to creating this PSA project, here is a quick mini interview with him:
Q: Who does the Shoulda Got the Shot campaign target?
A: We’re aiming this campaign at various underserved populations: politically polarized, lower income, minority, and rural audiences. And, as noted, we developed a social media program aimed at younger “party hardy” populations who may feel invincible to infection.
Q: Why is it so urgent?
A: Currently, the U.S. vaccination rate stands at 71 percent. This is not enough to achieve herd immunity, which could be essential to our very survival. And, at any rate, many areas of the U.S. are far below this 71 percent figure.
Quite simply, the more holdouts we can convince to get the shot, the more lives we’ll save. And, with the Delta variant raging (and the potentially more virulent Mu variant providing increasing concern), we cannot afford to wait.
Q: What makes this campaign different?
A: Our Shoulda Got the Shot PSA campaign doesn’t lecture its audience. It isn’t a blatant endorsement by politicians and scientists. It doesn’t tell people what to think. Our approach is based on the most proven type of human persuasion: one-on-one, person-to-person communication. These testimonials are raw and emotional and real. Viewers are more likely to trust these Real People in a way that they’d never trust a politician or scientist. These are people who look and sound like them.
I mean, you can feel Martha’s anguish when her voice breaks as she talks about how her Daddy died from a hole in his lung caused by COVID-19. When she goes on to encourage others to get vaccinated, it’s clear that it comes from a genuine desire to prevent suffering. These spots are incredibly compelling.
Q: So… why you? What drove you to launch this campaign?
A: First, this is a cause I deeply care about. I feel much the same way about it as I felt about the Stay Alive suicide prevention documentary film I produced 18 months ago. But also, thanks to my work in the healthcare communications field, I had many years of experience in producing these kinds of permission-based approaches that feature an appeal to community alignment to do the right thing. I know from experience this is a powerful strategy.
Q: How can others help?
A: Please… if you work with a TV, cable, or radio station, or have influence with any other media outlet, ask them to air these PSAs. You can call (424) 262-5570 to get copies of the spots delivered to them. Or share this lifesaving content with your community via our websites: www.ribbonsforresearch.org and www.ribbonsforresearchvideo.org. Please visit them for a preview and more information.
“I really have a lot of hope for this campaign,” adds Kilpatrick. “When we all join together to share these vital messages, we can help improve the numbers in under-vaccinated communities across the U.S. We can save lives—perhaps ultimately even our own.”
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Frank Kilpatrick is a Los Angeles-based entrepreneur experienced in creating successful new communications businesses. He was the Founder of Healthcare Communications Group.
Balancing his business endeavors with hands-on philanthropy, Frank’s social contributions have included producing the Gratitude Meditation Podcast (GratitudeVideo.com). As a songwriter, he often collaborates with Grammy Award winner Producer Alex Wand and multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Rayko (FrankiKMusic.com).
Frank attended the University of California-Berkeley.
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