Former NFL star quarterback and septuagenarian Terry Bradshaw is reaching out to his fellow baby boomers about the risk of pneumococcal pneumonia in the latest installment of Pfizer’s ongoing awareness campaign.
Bradshaw, in his second year with the “All About Your Boom” effort targeting boomers age 65 and older, tackles his pretend bucket list in online videos. He’s playing a sports mascot, piloting a hot air balloon and skydiving, among other activities. The upshot is making sure he and his fellow boomers don’t get sidelined by pneumonia.
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Bradshaw “epitomizes what it means to be a Boomer and not wanting anything to stop him from doing the things he loves. At age 71, he is still so active—and we wanted someone who could deliver that message that pneumococcal pneumonia could stop you from doing the things you love—and in a fun and meaningful way," Jessica Smith, Pfizer's global director of media relations, said in an email interview.
The 65-plus crowd is important because there are a lot of them—51 million—and they're at increased risk for pneumococcal pneumonia. They're also 10 times more likely to be hospitalized if they do get it when compared with adults ages 18 to 49.
The unbranded campaign will roll out over the next few weeks in digital and social media, including on Pfizer and Bradshaw’s Facebook pages, culminating with World Pneumonia Day in November, Smith said.
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Pfizer markets Prevnar 13—the world’s best-selling vaccine with $5.8 billion in sales last year—and is currently testing its next-gen version, which will cover 20 serotypes of the virus. Competition is also on the horizon, however, with Merck currently developing its own 15-strain pneumococcal vaccine.
For Bradshaw, it’s a second go as a pharma celebrity spokesperson. He repped Merck’s awareness campaign for shingles from 2014 through 2016, a job that included several TV spots.