Why Did I Fail To Market The Vax To Save My Friend?

 

 

I am trying to convince my friend to get the vax. I wrote to him several months ago. I think we have a moral imperative to help others overcome their fear, ignorance, and misinformation. Here is what I wrote to my lifelong friend who lives in another city:

 

“I haven't given up on the Mets or you.

 

“Listen, you know me. I consume a lot of information. I also know there is misinformation out there, too. From what I see, the greater danger, by far, is in not getting the vax.

 

“Trust me, I wouldn't suggest you do this unless I thought it important. Few people have had few complications with the shot. Many people have had many complications when not getting it.

 

“Is there something about your body type that makes you aware you are likely to suffer a dangerous vax reaction? Have you talked to a doctor about your concerns? Put fear or politics aside and try to really weigh the statistical opportunities and dangers ahead of you. Screw the CNN panic panzies or OAN/Breitbart idiots. Just look at the numbers and draw a smart conclusion.

 

“Keep in mind, it is a five-week process to immunity. Start now. Take a shot. Wait two weeks on dose two. Three weeks later at full immunity. I want to see you in Chicago, but not in a hospital or funeral parlor. Your parents are gone, you have no siblings. I have known you 49 years this September. I mean it from the bottom of my heart: protect yourself.

 

“The odds of you personally dying from covid this year probably seem low -- one in a thousand, maybe? The odds of hundreds of thousands of Americans dying this year ... quite substantial. Maybe that is the disconnect. People will die. You just think or hope it won't be you. However, taking the vax helps protect you and them -- and keeps hospitals free and clear to tend to non-covid patients and leaves for fewer long-haulers ailing.

 

“Ok, so let's start there. Aside from those stories that you heard where someone had a severe negative reaction to the vax, can you see that so many more stories exist of people getting the vax with no issues -- and of many people dying from covid, unvaxed? It is all numbers. Simple risk-reward stuff.

 

“I think you are skewed by stories you hear, just as I might get skewed watching a single news source.

 

“It is like baseball. If you live in Pittsburgh, you would think all baseball teams lose because your team has a losing record for so many years. Live in NY and watch the Yanks, and you expect to be a contender every year and only know winning. Both fans are misinformed, right?

 

“But there are facts and data out there. If data were not collected correctly or people are lying, that would impact our decisions. But if we trust CDC data, we know who died from what. If you don't think 665,000 died from having covid, okay, tell me how many did die? 500,000? 400,000? Big number, no?

 

“Now look at the vax. How many are on record as having died from it or getting a major debilitating reaction? A few thousand -- maybe. Tiny number.

 

   “See what I am saying.

 

   “Further, some reactions were based on being a woman or under 30. You don't fit that.

 

   “Other issues were for young men. You don’t fit that profile either.

 

  “Do this: ask your doctor. Do more research. Separate fact from fiction or fear.

 

“Yes, the shot has a risk, just like any pill or procedure, but it is microscopic. The reward is enormous, though not full-proof.

 

   “The more people who are vaxed, the less impact covid will have on anyone.

 

We are committing human malpractice. Instead of being our brother’s keeper, we are standing on the sidelines and watching car accidents happen when all that is needed is a sobriety check stop.

 

I would be negligent not to use my platform to help others stave off unnecessary suffering or death. I don’t want to make this a Red-Blue thing or political at all. It is about public health and safety. It is about doing the right thing.”

 

It is easy for us to dismiss these people like my friend, but we need to persuade them at their own level. It does shock me that so many won’t do what seems so obvious. Our education system has failed us. We lack thinkers. No common sense. They seemingly have no  way to evaluate options and information to make a smart choice.  If people do this with their life on the line, imagine how dumb they are about other things.

But my buddy is not a dumb guy and he is a thinker. And as a cancer survivor, a fighter. I don’t want to give up, but so far his stubborn ways have eluded my arguments. I have known him 49 years. We share so much in common and spent countless hours talking, playing games, competing as kids. But now I want to help him and he just won’t listen to facts, passion, or fear.

This incident shows me the limits to my marketing acumen. No matter what I say, do, or show, my good buddy just won’t get the shot. There is no reasoning there. Even if it means saving his life, he simply will not do what the majority of the country has seen fit to do. I hope he remains covid-free, but it is just hope. The vax would give him a much better chance to survive this pandemic. It boggles the mind to know that tens of millions of people, for whatever reason – or no reason at all – won’t do what is necessary for people to live and the nation to move forward. It’s ignorance, selfishness, or something that I just simply don’t get.

Marketing can convince a lot of people to do a lot of things – for better or for worse. In the case of covid, it looks like something other than facts are at play, and it is hard to win an argument when facts and reasoning play almost no role. 

Sigh, the world has gone mad.

 

Need Book PR Help?

Brian Feinblum, the founder of this award-winning blog, can be reached at brianfeinblum@gmail.com He is available to help authors promote their story, sell their book, and grow their brand. He has 30 years of experience in helping thousands of authors in all genres.

 

Catch Up With These Posts

How Do Authors Sell A Book?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/how-do-authors-sell-book.html

 

Market Your Book Like An Aggressive Cabby Drives Through Traffic Jams?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/market-your-book-like-aggressive-cabby.html

 

The 51-49 Book Marketing Solution

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/the-51-49-book-marketing-solution.html

 

Guaranteed: Authors Who Do This One Thing Shall Succeed

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/09/guaranteed-authors-who-do-this-one.html

 

Will You Take The 30-Day Book Marketing Challenge?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/will-you-take-30-day-book-marketing.html

 

15 Ways To Increase An Author’s Blog Traffic

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/08/15-ways-to-increase-authors-blog-traffic.html

 

The Author As Entrepreneur: 17 Tips/Resources

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/the-author-as-entrepreneur-17-tips.html

 

Top 100 Book PR Blog Posts

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2019/10/the-best-100-book-marketing-pr-blog.html

 

How Do Authors Recharge A Stalled Book Marketing Campaign?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-do-authors-recharge-stalled-book.html

 

How Should Authors Spend Their Book Marketing Dollars?

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/07/how-should-authors-spend-their-book.html

 

Great Book Marketing Podcast Interview With Savvy Book PR Pro Brian Feinblum

https://bookmarketingbuzzblog.blogspot.com/2021/04/great-book-marketing-podcast-interview.html

 

About Brian Feinblum

Brian Feinblum should be followed on Twitter @theprexpert. This is copyrighted by BookMarketingBuzzBlog ©2021. Born and raised in Brooklyn, he now resides in Westchester with his wife, two kids, and Ferris, a black lab rescue dog. His writings are often featured in The Writer and IBPA’s The Independent.  This was named one of the best book marketing blogs by BookBaby  http://blog.bookbaby.com/2013/09/the-best-book-marketing-blogs and recognized by Feedspot in 2018 as one of the top book marketing blogs. It was also named by WinningWriters.com as a "best resource.” He recently hosted a panel on book publicity for Book Expo America. For more information, please consult: linkedin.com/in/brianfeinblum.