MANILA, PHILIPPINES - Leading health and beauty retailer Watsons is rolling out an awareness drive on the importance of timely vaccination in the form of attention-grabbing "fake" movie posters and trailers, just in time for World Immunization Week.
The Watsons Vaxxed Office Hit campaign highlights how vaccination can protect Filipinos from the ill-effects of flu, HPV, and pneumonia.
“To make our message on the urgent need to get vaccinated memorable, we purposely created the trailers to go live in cinemas,” highlighted Sonny Cuenco, Watsons Health Trading Director. “It’s made to make our message on the urgent need to get vaccinated stand out. The trailers will also be promoted online and via out of home mock movie ads – just like a box office-breaking film.”
“The Cough” depicts how vaccines can protect you and your loved ones from the silent and deadly disease pneumonia.
Vaxxed Office Hit features a series of trailers and posters for what appears to be movies with post-apocalyptic themes. Through compelling illustrations delivered in eye-catching, movie trailer-style materials, the campaign encourages the public to sign up for their flu, HPV, and pneumonia vaccines.
“We invite everyone to get vaccinated to protect themselves, their loved ones, and their community. It is the safest and most effective way to stop infectious diseases,” shares Dr. Lulu Bravo, Executive Director, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination.
“There are many diseases to watch out for, but advances in medicine have allowed us to protect ourselves through vaccination. Watsons is making it easier to protect ourselves by making immunization more accessible and affordable,” shared Jared de Guzman, Watsons Customer Director.
This year, the dominant flu strain circulating the globe is Influenza A (H3N2) and it has been associated with more severe flu seasons. Meanwhile, subtype H3N2 is known to cause more severe illnesses in young children and older adults.
For his part, Dr. Eroll Yabut of the Health Promotion Bureau of the Department of Health lauded the attention-grabbing and educational materials. “It really makes you think about your health and what you will do after watching. It’s important for people to get vaccinated as it is our best bet against preventable diseases.” Yabut also noted that lack of proper information on vaccines is a big contributor to vaccine hesitancy and that awareness efforts like Watsons Vaxxed Office Hit campaign can help meet this gap.
In Focus: Vaccine-Preventable Diseases
In a separate statement, Mr. Teodoro Padilla, Executive Director of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, shared that “The COVID-19 pandemic has immensely contributed to the decline in vaccination coverage in the Philippines and many other countries. We are pleased to collaborate with Watsons Philippines in the ‘The Big Catch-up’ campaign to stress the urgent call for the people to help protect themselves from vaccine-preventable diseases. It is time for us to get back on track because vaccines help people of all ages live full and healthy lives.” PHAP represents the innovative medicines and vaccines sector in the country.
There are more than 25 safe and effective vaccines that can stop diseases, protect health, and mitigate outbreaks. Below are three diseases that can be prevented by vaccines:
Human Papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in the world. There are usually no symptoms and it goes away on its own, but the virus may cause painless growths or lumps around the genital area. It is usually transmitted via sex or skin-to-skin sexual contact with an individual who has the virus. If untreated, HPV infections can cause cancer.
Pneumonia is a lung infection that causes the air sacs to be filled with fluid or pus. Its symptoms include coughing, fever, sweating, chills, shortness of breath, chest pain, loss of appetite, fatigue, and nausea and vomiting. Pneumonia is caused by a variety of factors such as viruses, bacteria, and fungi. It is the single largest infectious cause of death in children around the world.
Booking Your Vaccination
Customers interested in getting vaccinated at Watsons may schedule their inoculation for April 27 to 30 via the Watsons Health Hub online. Early registrants can enjoy 10% off their vaccine and Php 50 off on Php 500 worth of purchases of Watsons products.
To book a vaccination, simply scan the QR code found in the Watson Vaxxed Office Hit posters and videos or visit vaccination.watsons.com.ph. For more information about Watsons’ products and services, please go to watsonshealth.com.ph.
About Watsons
Watsons is part of the Health and Beauty Store chain of A.S Watson, the largest health, beauty, cosmetics, and perfumery retailer in the world. Today, Watsons H&B Asia is the leading health and beauty chain in the continent with successful operations in 13 markets. In 2002, A.S. Watson Group joined hands with SM Prime Holdings Inc., the Philippines' leading shopping mall developer. The partnership brought about the first Watsons stores in SM Megamall and The Podium (Ortigas).
Today, Watsons operates 1000+ stores in the Philippines serving more than 250,000 customers per day. Watsons strives to ensure that its customers get the best value for their money through monthly promotions, special offers, and continuous consumer marketing programs. Each Watsons store houses nothing but the best brands from top manufacturers all over the world and also carries its own competitively priced, high-quality private labels and brands. With more than 1,000 brands ranging from medicines, cosmetics, and fragrances to personal care items and general merchandise, Watsons Your Personal Store delivers only the best health, wellness, and beauty solutions to each and every customer.
References:
- H3N2 Flu Strain: What to Know About the Deadly Outbreak in India. (2023, March 13). Julia Ries, https://www.healthline.com/health-news/h3n2-flu-strain-what-to-know-about-the-deadly-outbreak-in-india. Accessed 24 April 2023.
- Fast Facts on Global Immunization. (Updated 2022, Sep 22). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/immunization/data/fast-facts.html#:~:text=4%20million%20deaths%20worldwide%20are%20prevented%20by%20childhood%20vaccination%20every%20year. Accessed 21 Mar 2023
- Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccine. (No date). Pan American Health Organization, https://www.paho.org/en/human-papillomavirus-hpv-vaccine. Accessed 22 Mar 2023
- Human papillomavirus (HPV). (Last reviewed 2022, May 27). National Health Service, https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/human-papilloma-virus-hpv/. Accessed 22 Mar 2023
- National Cancer Institute. (Updated 2023, Jan 31). National Cancer Institute, https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/causes-prevention/risk/infectious-agents/hpv-and-cancer. Accessed 22 Mar 2023.
- What Is Pneumonia? (Last updated 2022, Mar 24). National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/pneumonia#:~:text=Pneumonia%20is%20an%20infection%20that,or%20fungi%20may%20cause%20pneumonia. Accessed 22 Mar 2023
- Pneumonia Symptoms and Diagnosis. (Last updated 2022, Nov 17). American Lung Association, https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/pneumonia/symptoms-and-diagnosis. Accessed 22 Mar 2023
- Pneumonia in children. (2022, Nov 11). World Health Organization, https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/pneumonia#:~:text=Pneumonia%20is%20a%20form%20of,painful%20and%20limits%20oxygen%20intake. Accessed 22 Mar 2023
This is a press release distributed by The EON Group