Watsons Vaxxed Office Hit Campaign Launched

 

“The Cough” depicts how vaccines can protect you and your loved ones from the silent and deadly disease pneumonia.

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.” 

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.

 

Watsons and the nation’s leading health experts encourage Filipinos to get their routine vaccinations. From left: Jay Soliman, Watsons Business Dev't Controller; Jared de Guzman, Watsons, Customer Director; Sonny Cuenco, Watsons Trading Health Director; Jin P. Jimenez, Watsons Operations Director, Viki Encarnacion, Watsons PR & Sustainability Director; Dr. Eroll Yabut, Medical Officer II, Health Promotion Bureau of DOH; Dr. Minerva Calimag, President, Philippine Medical Association; Dr. Tony Leachon, Independent Health Advocate & Chair, Kilusan Kontra COVID; Gilda Sebua- Saljay, President, Philippine Pharmacists Association; and Dr. Lulu Bravo, Executive Director, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination.

“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.

 

Dr. Lulu Bravo,  Executive Director, Philippine Foundation for Vaccination, speaking at the Watsons Vaxxed Office launch. Also in photo: Gilda Sebua- Saljay, President, Philippine Pharmacists Association

“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.^[1]

 

Dr. Eroll Yabut of the Health Promotion Bureau of the Department of Health.

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.

 

Watsons Launches Vaxxed Office Campaign. From left: Manila Bulletin’s Philip Cu-unjieng, Viki Encarnacion, Watsons PR & Sustainability Director; Sonny Cuenco, Watsons Trading Health Director; Dr Tony Leachon, Independent Health Advocate & Chair, Kilusan Kontra COVID; and Jay Soliman, Watsons Business Dev't Controller.

 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.^[2] 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.^[3] 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.^[4] 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.^[5]