Olde School Marketing Innovation: Direct Mail Proposed to Break Through Vaccine Barriers
*Reaching the Unreached: As COVID Cases Climb, White House Looks to Reach the Unvaccinated*
*BERRYVILLE, AR / ACCESSWIRE / September 27, 2023 / *Just when we thought there was a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel, the newest Omicron subvariant has dashed hopes of COVID-19's departure. Cases are rising across the U.S., fueled by the highly transmissible new strains BA.2, EG.5, BA.2.86, BA 2.12.1, and other various subvariants. With many Americans forgoing masks and returning to normal life, health officials worry we could face another deadly surge.
Experts insist that the best defense remains vaccination. Yet despite ample supply of free shots, uptake has stalled. Only two-thirds of the U.S. population is fully vaccinated. Booster rates are even lower, leaving people more vulnerable to breakthrough infections. Now, with infections climbing, the current administration aims to convince millions more Americans to get their first shots or overdue boosters. But reaching the vaccine hesitant and indifferent won't be easy.
After two exhausting years of pandemic news, many are simply tuned out. COVID fatigue is real. Endless PSAs to mask up, stay home, and get jabbed have faded into background noise. And misinformation continues sowing distrust about vaccine safety on social media. Getting through to stubborn holdouts and those on the fence will require meeting people where they are.
Rusty Dycus, founder of marketing firm Olde School, believes the solution may be surprisingly low-tech: direct mail. He proposes utilizing old-fashioned print materials like postcards, brochures, and other tangible mailers to promote lifesaving vaccines in communities lagging behind. "People are inundated with digital noise - emails, online ads, social media. But physical mail can cut through the clutter," Dycus says. "It's tangible, creates longer-lasting impression, and gets engagement."
Recent consumer research backs this up. Seventy-seven percent of Americans surveyed said they pay closer attention to direct mail versus digital ads. Other studies reveal we're more likely to remember information from print materials than online sources. And this appeal holds true across ages."Print marketing elicits an emotional response - what neurologists call the 'paper pleasing effect,'" Dycus explains. "This is the sensory satisfaction of touching and engaging with physical media."
Targeting postal flyers also enables hyperlocal outreach to specific neighborhoods lagging in vaccination. By geo-mapping high-risk communities, Dycus can flood them with vaccine facts where they're needed most. "Our direct mail techniques allow precision targeting at a granular level not possible with TV or radio," he says. "We can blanket hard-hit zip codes to get these life-saving messages out."
Messaging will also be tailored based on barriers deterring different groups from getting vaccinated. For instance, according to many sources including the National Institutes of Health, there is a hesitancy among African Americans to receive the vaccine. According to RAND, Black Americans cite low vaccine confidence and mistrust of the healthcare system rooted in past discrimination. Therefore, mailers to majority-Black areas could feature relatable messengers like community leaders and local physicians of color. For politically conservative regions, language might focus on personal freedom and responsibility.
The impact could be transformative. An extensive mail campaign from the White House could finally motivate millions left unprotected to get shots. Even nudging holdouts to just take that first jab could strengthen immunity nationwide. And direct mail complements wider efforts to make accessing vaccines as easy as possible, like offering shots at pharmacies, workplaces, and houses of worship.
Of course, while persuasive and targeted marketing makes sense, some critics argue we shouldn't have to essentially beg people to get a safe, free vaccine during an ongoing public health crisis. When over 1 million Americans have died horrific deaths from COVID-19, continuing to refuse basic prevention tools seems unthinkable to many.
But clearly, large swaths of the population remain hesitant or apathetic for complex reasons. Renewed government urgency is required to maximize vaccination rates and prevent avoidable suffering. Biden's team is wisely pulling out all the stops on outreach, even unconventional printed mailers. With COVID cases multiplying daily, many experts say we need full protection now.
Direct mail alone won't end the pandemic. But utilizing surprising old-school tactics could just help steer us out of this latest COVID surge. The virus continues evolving, and so too must our playbook to defeat it. With fresh thinking and creative solutions, we might bring these frightening numbers back down. And opening more minds to vaccination, even through simple mailers, may ultimately help to save lives.
*ABOUT OLDE SCHOOL MARKETING*
Since their founding in 2019, Olde School Marketing has built up a team of passionate and thoughtful storytellers who put immense amounts of effort into producing great results for their clients. Through a wide range of services, OSM provides strategic guidance by coming up with the right solution for each client served. Owner and Founder Rusty Dycus is a US Navy Veteran with 23 years as an executive-level businessman, who has had a passion for marketing from the beginning of his career. Now focused on helping other businesses be successful in marketing, direct mail, and fulfillment, he created Olde School Marketing to be a full print house and merchandise distributer. *For more information, visit **oldeschoolmarketing.com**. For additional information, visit Olde School Marketing on **YouTube** and **Facebook**.*
*CONTACT:*
Rusty Dycus
sales@oldeschoolmarketing.com
(870) 505-6580
*SOURCE:* Olde School Marketing
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