City of Toronto pulls COVID-19 vaccine ads critics found ‘creepy’
The City of Toronto has pulled a series public service announcements about COVID-19 vaccines for children after an online backlash, saying the videos missed the mark" and should never have been published.
The series of five videos was rolled out online Tuesday, and was intended to highlight the impact (the pandemic) has had on children" and to inform parents and caregivers that vaccines for children are now available," said city spokesperson Brad Ross in an email.
But soon after they were posted the ads faced fierce criticism from social media users, some of whom labelled them creepy," dystopian" and propaganda." They were removed by Tuesday evening.
Ross said the message the videos were supposed to convey was that vaccines for children are safe and effective. But the spots incorrectly left the impression that if a child is not vaccinated they have to remain isolated in their home. That is not the case," he said.
The series of 20- and 30-second spots was created by Toronto's vaccine engagement team," a group Ross said has been extremely effective" in educating residents about the safety, efficacy and availability of COVID-19 vaccines. They cost a total of $20,000. In one of the ads, a young girl is shown looking longingly out a window at a group of children playing outside. She asks whether she can join them, but from off-screen her mother says no, because there's still something going around."
Kids should be out there. Not in here," reads a caption on the screen.
In another ad, two adults use a phone to film a baby in a crib. When can we see her?" asks the person on the other end of the phone.
Text flashes on the screen that says, Don't miss these moments. Get connected IRL," an acronym for in real life."
The ads end with the message: COVID-19 vaccines are available for children 6 months to 12 years. Thank you for getting vaccinated."
In a followup statement, Ross asserted that the decision to pull the ads wasn't an instance of the city caving to critics who oppose to vaccines on political grounds.
I can tell you that with absolute conviction. Our objective here was to clearly communicate the availability and effectiveness of vaccines for children ... this video failed in doing that, which is why it was pulled," he said.
He said in the future any similar public service announcements will undergo a more rigorous approvals process to ensure clarity of the message being conveyed."
Ben Spurr is a Toronto-based reporter covering city hall and municipal politics for the Star. Reach him by email at bspurr@thestar.ca or follow him on Twitter: @BenSpurr