After over a year of lockdowns and facemasks, people were longing to get back to some sense of normalcy. Unfortunately as open eligibility for the COVID-19 vaccine loomed, 42% of Americans said they wouldn’t take an FDA-approved vaccine. In order to increase vaccination rates to put an end to the pandemic, we needed great storytelling to help educate viewers, raise awareness, and dispel concerns surrounding the COVID-19 vaccines.
On the eve of eligibility for all adult Americans to get the COVID-19 vaccine, ATTN: and NBC broadcasted Roll Up Your Sleeves presented by Walgreens. This hour-long, primetime variety broadcast aimed to inform and encourage those who have vaccination concerns to learn the facts and get vaccinated, and provided a “thank you” to the essential workers who got us all through the past year.
Roll Up Your Sleeves was hosted by Russell Wilson and Ciara, and featured comedic acts, captivating real-life stories, heartwarming surprises and informative conversations with the biggest names in entertainment and government. Through all of these there was a constant reminder to the audience that getting the COVID-19 vaccine is a crucial step to beat the pandemic, protect loved ones and continue the road to recovery.
Guests for the night included Presidents Joe Biden, Barack Obama and George W. Bush, Michelle Obama, Dr. Anthony Fauci, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Hudson, Billy Crystal, Wanda Sykes, Sterling K. Brown, Matthew McConaughey, Charles Barkley, Shaquille O’Neal, Lana Condor, Eva Longoria, Demi Lovato, Kumail Nanjiani, Ellen Pompeo and many more!
ATTN: and NBC developed the special in partnership with Walgreens, Civic Nation and leading health care professionals who, along with the special guests, helped drive tune-in and increase anticipation by posting custom content across their social channels. Also, the broadcast drove traffic to MadeToSave.org so the audience could learn more about the vaccine and other grassroots initiatives to make access to COVID-19 vaccines more equitable for communities of color and build trust in the vaccines among communities who have been hit hardest by the pandemic.
Roll Up Your Sleeves finished as NBC’s top program among A50+ and the #2 program among P2+ on the night of April 18th, with almost 1.5M viewers.
Social promos garnered 9.5M views and over 400K engagements across all placements. Engagement was incredibly strong leading into the special, helping to generate awareness and drive tune-in.
