Here’s how Moderna leveraged Jeopardy! to sell booster shots

The Brief

With Covid-19 still prevalent in the US but perceived urgency for vaccines in decline, Moderna needed to find a platform to speak to an at-risk (age 50+) audience, informing them of booster benefits, encouraging trust and ultimately increasing desire for booster vaccines.

Hearts & Science wanted to reflect Moderna’s vaccine accomplishments in a channel that celebrated intelligence and effort. It also needed to combat mistrust, misinformation and skepticism over side effects and efficacy, promoting confidence while driving awareness to a mass general audience.

The Idea

The TV show Jeopardy! offered impressive exposure to the general audience at scale – many belonging to our primary audience. Jeopardy! fans respond positively to the show’s intellect and earnestness, and when fan favorites lose, fans often express excitement when that contestant is able to return.

Hearts & Science decided to channel this hype into a first-of-its-kind rewriting of the show’s rules, sponsoring a follow-up show that woud connect with the show’s mass audience while integrating Moderna’s message of innovation and vigilance into gameplay.

It created the ‘Jeopardy! Second Chance’ tournament, calling back 18 fan favorites from Season 38 who came so close to winning. Throughout the competition, Moderna wove in ’game changer’ messaging and reminders on the importance of boosters and vaccines, integrating key messaging into the show, which tied together with Moderna topicals and a robust digital campaign.

The Results

Moderna’s presence was palpable for the entire tournament run, with a week of pre-promo preceding the two-week campaign. In its entirety, the campaign delivered on ambitious awareness goals.

This campaign won at The Drum Awards for Marketing Americas 2023. Find out more about The Drum’s Global Awards program or head to our case studies hub to read more award-winning stories.