Experts in Infectious Diseases Team Up With Ad Council To Encourage People To Wear Face Masks In Public
#MaskUpAmerica brings message to high traffic outdoor locations and digital ads, aiming to stem the spread of COVID-19 in hard-hit areas.
Local media outlets partner with medical community and advertising experts
EDITOR: For information on how your media outlet can obtain online web PSAs, see idsociety.org/masks.
Arlington, Va.— “Mask Up, America,” a national outdoor and web banner campaign that encourages people to wear face masks in public to stem the ongoing spread of COVID-19 and help the nation get back to business, is being extended through outdoor and web banner ads launched by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the Ad Council.
IDSA represents more than 12,000 physicians, scientists, public health experts and other health professionals who specialize in infectious diseases. The Ad Council is America’s leading non-profit organization dedicated to using communications to drive social change.
“As summer turns to fall and winter, people everywhere want to do what they can to protect themselves and others from COVID-19,” said IDSA President Thomas M. File Jr., M.D., FIDSA. “The simple act of wearing a mask in public is one of the most effective measures to curb the spread of disease and help this pandemic subside. It’s a public health action that saves lives and helps the country get back to business.”
As the leading professional society that represents infectious diseases experts, IDSA is reinforcing the message that experts in science and medicine are actively calling on U.S. residents to “mask up” and help in a historic effort to curb the novel coronavirus. According to the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, if 95 percent of people in the U.S. were to wear masks when leaving their homes, nearly 100,000 lives could be saved by January 1.
The ads will reach people at bus stops, on billboards, and in other public gathering spots. Online ads will also be part of the campaign. These public service announcements will appear in space that will be donated by the media throughout California, Florida, Texas, Utah, and parts of the Midwest, all areas where COVID-19 infection rates are high.
“The Ad Council is proud to work with IDSA, whose members are on the front lines battling this crisis,” said Heidi Arthur, Chief Campaign Development Officer at the Ad Council “Each of us can play a significant role in stopping the spread of COVID-19. It starts with masking up.”
Since March, the Ad Council’s COVID-19 public service advertisements have generated 30 billion impressions and 77 percent of American adults are aware of the Ad Council’s COVID-related messaging.
Digital and outdoor public service advertising for #MaskUpAmerica will begin running this week.
About IDSA
The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) is a community of over 12,000 physicians, scientists and public health experts who specialize in infectious diseases. Our mission is to improve the health of individuals, communities, and society by promoting excellence in patient care, education, research, public health, and prevention relating to infectious diseases. Learn more at www.idsociety.org.
About the Ad Council
The Ad Council is where creativity and causes converge. The non-profit organization brings together the most creative minds in advertising, media, technology and marketing to address many of the nation’s most important causes. The Ad Council has created many of the most iconic campaigns in advertising history. Friends Don’t Let Friends Drive Drunk. Smokey Bear. Love Has No Labels. Its innovative social good campaigns raise awareness, inspire action and save lives. To learn more, visit AdCouncil.org, follow the Ad Council’s communities on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, and view the creative on YouTube.