As the world's premier innovative biopharmaceutical company, Pfizer innovates every day to make the world a healthier place and deliver breakthroughs that change patients’ lives. Pfizer has been a leader in the COVID-19 pandemic, being the first vaccine authorized across people 16 years of age and older, adolescents 12-15, and children from 5-11. As of March 2022, Pfizer delivered more than 3 billion doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to 178 countries; 1.3 billion of these vaccine doses were too low- and middle-income countries. As the pandemic continues, COVID-19 variants are putting vaccines to the test, so booster shots provide needed support by enhancing and restoring immunity levels. With this, the ask was to identify premium, mass integration moments surrounding the Oscars that would allow Pfizer to combat nationwide COVID-19 fatigue and underscore the importance of the COVID-19 booster, motivating more Americans to get theirs.

“It Takes a Village.” Movies have the power to make us laugh or cry-sometimes at the same time. Before a movie can elicit any of those emotions, however, it requires the help of talented groups of production teams/crews that are the foundation to movie making and help bring the page to the screen. These talented artists have a true passion for their work and the creative process. In this :30 piece of custom storytelling, we interview production crew members who, thanks in part to the protection COVID-19 vaccines and boosters help provide, have been able to get back to doing what they love most–bringing entertainment to the world. These short, confessional-style vignettes, captured against the backdrop of a bustling Hollywood soundstage, highlight these important individuals (and roles) that help make our favorite films, and showcase how anything is possible when we work together. After all, it takes a village.

In this custom storytelling, we celebrate the reconnection of moviemakers to their craft, the importance of in-person creative collaboration, and how the film community got back on its feet and is once again thriving–thanks in part to vaccines. Pfizer strategically partnered with the network/company behind the Oscars to bring this story to life through their trusted voice. In using these unscripted stories from below-the-line crew members, we were able to reinforce the message that staying up to date on your booster may help you—and your own “village”—feel more protected as you return to the things you love. The story, while built on the foundation of moviemaking, resonates with everyone who experienced the tribulations of the pandemic, which impacted countless lives and livelihoods, and expresses a potentially renewed sense of optimism, in part due to the protection COVID-19 vaccines and boosters are helping us more safely return to our normal lives.

The :30 spot was developed to run both in and out of the Oscars broadcast. Titled “It Takes a Village,” the piece features some of this year’s Academy Award nominees conveying their love for their art/skill and passion for working in the industry, and how vaccines/boosters helped them feel more protected in getting back to work. These talented and diverse below-the-line artisans included a Costume Designer (“Don’t Look Up”), 2nd Assistant Director (“Being the Ricardos”), Featured Vocalist (“Encanto”), Gaffer (“Licorice Pizza”), and Stunt Performer (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”), seamlessly tying back to the awards broadcast. The spot aired twice within the Oscars telecast, and both the :30 and :15 cutdowns were created for digital/social amplification. Production was completed within 4 weeks in an accelerated timeline to meet the live airdate. Regarding scale, the Oscars telecast delivered 23 million impressions to the target audience.

The Oscars telecast reached 16.6 million viewers with a delivery of 23 million impressions. After the first airing, approximately 1200 entries across the web mentioned Pfizer and the Oscars together; and in the hours following the first airing, there was a 12% lift in search traffic for both Pfizer and BioNTech. Using these unscripted, backstage Oscars stories to inspire people who influence healthcare decisions among their family and friends, let us reinforce the message that the broad uptake of COVID-19 vaccines can help enable people to return to the things they love, and to remind people who haven’t gotten boosted to do so.