Graphic Aussie Covid TV ad lashed

Australians have criticised the government’s new vaccine ad campaign, which shows a young woman on a ventilator. Have your say.

A new vaccine ad blitz targeting Australians is reinforcing the message that getting a Covid-19 jab the “best defence and our only way forward”.

The Morrison government’s “Arm yourself” campaign, released on Sunday, features TV, radio, social media and billboard ads, shows rolled up sleeves in windows reminiscent of the 1970s sitcom The Brady Bunch.

In the video version of the campaign, a voiceover says: “Now is the time to arm yourself, your friends, your family, your workmates, your community, someone you love.”

A previous $24m vaccine ad campaign featured Dr Nick Coatsworth talking to the camera as he walked into a cafe, espousing the benefits of the vaccine.

Meanwhile, the federal government aired a “graphic” advertisement about the virus with the aim of driving home the seriousness of Sydney’s fast-growing outbreak.

The ad shows a young woman in hospital on a ventilator gasping for air, given the virus can attack the lungs in some cases.

Text on the screen reads: “Covid can affect anyone. Stay home. Get tested. Book your vaccination.”

The federal government has released a confronting Covid-19 ad. Picture: Supplied by the ABC

Readers have been quick to criticise the ad, with some saying it depicts a young woman under 40, who in reality would most likely not be eligible for the vaccine due to her age.

Chief health officer Paul Kelly said the ad was intended to be scary as a large number of Sydneysiders appeared to not be taking the outbreak seriously.

On Sunday, it was revealed a woman in her 90s died of coronavirus while New South Wales recorded 77 new locally acquired cases.

Premier Gladys Berejiklian said she expected the numbers on Monday would likely be more than 100.

Here’s how Australia’s new campaigns compare to jab ads around the world.

Singapore's ad campaign brings back a popular sitcom character.

SINGAPORE

Singapore’s public health campaign aimed to be catchy and funny but was panned online by critics who labelled it “cringey”. The kooky ad, laden with Singlish, features Phua Chu Kang, the main character of a popular 1990s sitcom, and includes a number of his catchphrases. “Better get your shot, steady pom pi pi,” the jingle says, using Singapore slang for somebody who remains calm and collected.

NEW ZEALAND

New Zealand’s vaccine campaign also opts for humour, using local vernacular to get the message across. In one scene, Covid is told where to go in no uncertain terms.

“Ka kite, Covid”, one character says, which means “see you, Covid” in the Maori language.

The Kiwis have opted for humour.

CHINA

China’s vaccine ad keeps the fun theme going, with a catchy jingle featuring dancing doctors.

The song, which promotes the Sinovax vaccine, is called Get Jabbed Quick and is the brainchild of China’s Sichuan Provincial Commission of Health.

In the ad, doctors and nurses dance and sing in an ultra-modern hospital as they spruik the benefits of the vaccine.

China's merry band of dancing doctors and frontline workers.

The song features the lines: “Everyone is race (sic) to go get Chinese vaccines and other countries yearn for them day and night.

“Some countries’ presidents and prime ministers have been vaccinated with it.

“It is very safe and this is guaranteed.”

FRANCE

Leave it to France to make their Covid-19 vaccine ad campaign titillating complete with gorgeous models. The new ad promotes the jab with an image of a couple passionately kissing in the back of a car alongside the tagline: “Yes, the vaccine can have desirable effects.”

A French ad ticks all the boxes.

The ad is one of six produced by the health service in the Provence-Alpes-Cote d’Azur region to encourage young people to come forward for their Covid vaccine.

UK

The British NHS campaign is big on star power, recruiting Sir Elton John and Sir Michael Caine in an ad that aims to eradicate vaccine hesitancy.

The film shows the pair supposedly auditioning for an advert promoting the jab.

Sir Elton is seen saying: “The more people in society who get vaccinated, the more chance there is of eradicating the national Covid pandemic.”

He then stresses that the vaccines “have all been through and met the necessary safety and quality standards”.

Sir Michael delivers two of his signature lines, after having received the jab.

“Hello, my name is Michael Caine,” he says. “I’ve just had a vaccine for Covid. It didn’t hurt - not many people know that.”