Sanofi and USA Pickleball Launch "Serve Up Protection" Campaign to Boost Awareness of Protein-Based Nuvaxovid COVID-19 Vaccine
核心洞察
Sanofi and USA Pickleball (搜索) have launched 'Serve Up Protection,' a campaign to educate older adults about COVID-19 (搜索) prevention and the FDA-approved NUVAXOVID vaccine.
NUVAXOVID is a protein-based, non-mRNA vaccine that entered the market more than a year after Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines, leaving it with a small share of doses administered.
Concern about side effects was the top reason US adults 50 and older skipped COVID-19 (搜索) vaccination, cited by 26% in a January University of Michigan poll.
Sanofi and USA Pickleball (搜索) have launched "Serve Up Protection," a campaign designed to educate older adults about COVID-19 (搜索) prevention and the NUVAXOVID (COVID-19 Vaccine, Adjuvanted), a protein-based, non-mRNA vaccine approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The initiative, announced from Morristown, N.J., uses multimedia educational content, pickleball personalities, and fan experiences to reach older adults during the respiratory virus season, with activities including USA Pickleball's National Championships in San Diego in November.
Targeting a Lesser-Known Vaccine's Awareness Gap
Nuvaxovid, developed by Novavax and commercialized by Sanofi, is far less known than Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines. The vaccine entered the market more than a year after the mRNA products, leaving it with a small share of doses administered. The campaign aims to reach consumers during peak respiratory illness season through pickleball players and personalities and fan experiences at major events.
Sanofi said the campaign will provide information on the vaccine and its tolerability profile as part of a broader effort to address concerns that may contribute to lower vaccination rates among older adults.
"Concerns about potential vaccine side effects can be a barrier to vaccination for older adults, who don't want disruption in their daily lives and hobbies," said Sriram Jambunathan, head of marketing and commercial strategy, U.S. Vaccines at Sanofi. "By teaming up with USA Pickleball (搜索) on 'Serve Up Protection,' we're educating older adults that NUVAXOVID can help provide powerful protection against COVID-19 (搜索) with manageable side effects."
Side-Effect Concerns Drive Vaccination Hesitancy
Concern about side effects was the top reason US adults 50 and older skipped the COVID-19 (搜索) vaccine in the past year or ever, cited by 26% of respondents, followed by believing they didn't need it at 25%, according to a January University of Michigan poll. Sanofi is positioning Nuvaxovid's generally milder short-term side-effect profile compared with mRNA vaccines as an answer to that hesitation.
According to Sanofi, two pivotal phase 3 studies of NUVAXOVID found that most reported side effects were mild to moderate under FDA grading criteria.
Older adults may face a higher risk of serious illness from COVID-19 (搜索) due to age-related changes in the immune system and underlying conditions such as cardiovascular disease (搜索), chronic lung disease (搜索), and diabetes (搜索).
Shifting Vaccine Education Into Interest-Based Communities
For Sanofi, the campaign shifts COVID-19 (搜索) education into interest-based communities and away from traditional vaccine messaging, which can fall flat. Partnering with USA Pickleball (搜索) gives Sanofi a non-clinical setting to reach an active, older audience, and timing the effort around peak respiratory illness season makes the message immediately actionable rather than abstract.
"At USA Pickleball (搜索), we're committed to creating meaningful partnerships that help our community enjoy the sport for years to come," said Christian Portaro, vice president of partnerships at USA Pickleball. "As pickleball continues to attract players of all ages, we're proud to work with Sanofi on the 'Serve Up Protection' campaign to provide education and resources that empower individuals to make informed decisions about their health."
For pharma brands with products that have limited name recognition, reaching relevant audiences can make an unfamiliar product more approachable, though education must quickly explain why a lesser-known product deserves consideration over better-known alternatives. At the same time, declining perceived personal risk and general COVID-19 (搜索) fatigue work against any single campaign effort, even if it is well-targeted.