COVID-19 vaccinations were supposed to be our way back to normalcy, and no one thought people would deny that. But they did. Drive a few hours inland from the progressive tech culture of Seattle, and all the stubborn independence of the old westerns is still there. They don’t want to be told how to live. Most of the unvaccinated counties voted against the governor. And the news and social media were aflame with the rage and bitterness that divided pro and anti-vaccine positions. If you were pro-Trump, you should be anti-governor, and anti-vaccine. Persuasion, and easier access to shots had only gone so far. Washington’s progress had slowed and stalled.

When the state governor called for solutions, we answered quickly (in 48 hours) by crafting a program that would appeal to this audience in a way that we knew would actually drive them to get vaccinated. Based on data from previous successful drawings in the state we knew the prize threshold had to be a million dollars and that the name and language around it had to be straight forward, non-politically motivated and more of an appreciation for doing the right thing vs telling people what was right and wrong. We called it SHOT OF A LIFETIME, and we were offering one lucky Washingtonian the chance to win a million dollars—just for getting vaccinated.

All lottery data was gathered from previous years’ research, which was compared to the real-time data from the department of health. This gave us our audience, known viewing habits, shopping routines and owned outlets where we could easily target them in close proximity to clinics or pharmacies where they could actually get the shot on the spot.

We worked closely with the department of Health, the governor, and local media outlets to spread the word. We used our in-store presence to drive people to pharmacies where they could get the shot on the spot.

Getting people to set aside their politics and ignore their social media misinformation was our hardest challenge, so we partnered with local physicians to help spread the truth while also getting the word out about the program.

It took off like wildfire. Every TV nightly news program across the state began with a featured story ensuring that our message would reach everyone in the state. ‘Shot of a Lifetime’ was on 547 TV news stories, including 35 TV interviews, in its first two weeks.

Within four weeks, 28,500 Washingtonians got vaccinated directly as a result of our draw entry mechanic..

Before launch, daily vaccination rates were declining 3% a day overall, and up to 10% a day amongst younger groups.

According to the DOH, “After the announcement of the vaccine lottery on June 3rd, the rate of decline decreased in those 55 and older, stopped in those 18-54, and vaccination rates in unvaccinated individuals showed increases in those ages 12-17.”

Most importantly, based on CDC data, those 28,500 extra vaccinations translate to 326 lives and 503 hospitalizations saved, saving the state $11 million in COVID-related healthcare alone.