By Divya Gottiparthy
For the past few months, many brands and companies have tried to gear their advertising towards reflecting the various stages of the pandemic. To support the global vaccination campaign, many of them have stepped up to encourage people to get the vaccine. Companies are indulging in vaccine marketing, which is the practice of rewarding customers who get vaccinated against COVID-19 with attractive business deals.
A few nationwide businesses offered vaccination promotions for the general public. The most notable offer was Krispy Kreme, who promised a free glazed donut everyday for the rest of the year to anyone who presents a COVID-19 vaccination card. The popular fast-food chain, Shake Shack, also has a promotion for vaccinated individuals in New York City, offering them free french fries when customers show their vaccine card while ordering.
Source by Ms. Mary Kay Mannle
Restaurants and fast-food chains, such as Shake Shack, are offering free menu items to customers when they show their vaccine card.
“After getting my vaccine card, I am excited to go to Krispy Kreme to take advantage of the vaccine campaign and get a free donut,” said junior Amanda Fabilli.
Ride sharing services such as Uber and Lyft have also pledged free or discounted transportation to those who need rides to vaccine sites. Starbucks offered free coffee to front line responders and healthcare workers during the pandemic, and gave paid leave to employees for the time they were receiving their vaccinations. Incentives and rewards from these large corporations can help relieve many people’s hesitancy about the COVID- 19 vaccine.
“It is a good idea for a business to incentivize people who are not vaccinated to get the vaccine by giving discounts and coupons. If a business itself decides to incentivize people to get vaccines, then that is great. It may be scary to get vaccinated since this is all new, but to ensure the safety of others and ourselves, we must take them. Taking vaccines will help society to return to normal more efficiently,” said junior Serena Sajumon.