John Legend Sings the Praises of Updated Booster Shots in Pfizer PSA

John Legend takes his health just as seriously as he takes his craft. But he’ll still find a way to make sure there’s a sweet (and fun) payoff in taking care of both. Especially for a compelling cause.  

The award-winning singer, producer and activist teamed up with Pfizer for the latest edition of its “Got Booster?” campaign, promoting the pharmaceutical company’s bivalent booster shot—an updated version of its vaccine developed to protect against recent Omicron variants. He has previously lent his famous voice to encourage vaccinations for Walgreens in 2021. 

In a spot that (quite literally) oozes smoothness, “Honey,” created by VMLY&R, sees the crooner (whose latest album has a track by the same name) descend from a staircase in an almost clinically white room, decked out in an eye-catching brown velvet suit, playfully baiting the audience about how he maintains his equally velvety vocals.  

“You might wonder, ‘John Legend, how do you keep your voice so… legendary?’” he sings before revealing a translucent piano filled with actual honey, complete with honeycombs and live bees inside. (Yes, both the piano and its tricked-out dispensary feature are real.) 

Legend then points out the parallels of getting an updated booster to protect himself from the new variants of Covid-19 as he pours some of the sweet liquid from the piano into a glass before melodically declaring, “The fresher the better!”

Play it again  

“Honey” is the second installment of Pfizer’s “Got Booster?” campaign, which is a playful sendup of the classic “Got Milk” campaign, currently seeing a resurgence in popularity. The campaign kicked off in January with “Unwelcome Guest,” featuring omnipresent pitchwoman Martha Stewart menacingly brandishing a samurai sword and a post-booster bandage.

Both spots were directed by Martin Werner of Reset, with Hoyte Van Hoytema—whose previous credits include Apple’s award-darling “Welcome Home”—serving as director of production on “Honey.” 

In the three years since Covid-19 upended life as the world knew it, hospitalizations continue to prevail as new variants spread due to increasingly relaxed prevention practices and protocols in public spaces.

While the Biden administration has announced it will end the Covid-19 national and public health emergencies in May, public health officials still strongly encourage getting updated boosters for protection, as the spread of the virus—which, according to the World Health Organization, has claimed the lives of more than 1 million Americans and 6.8 million people globally—has not abated.

Credits:  

Agency: VMLY&R New York 

Martin Werner, Director 

Wayne Best, Chief Creative Officer 
Jason Xenopoulos, Chief Creative Officer, North America  
Augé Reichenberg, Health Chief Creative Officer 
Guillermo Aracena, Group Creative Director, Art Director 
Bruce Jacobson, Group Creative Director, Copywriter 
Jason Goyle, Chief Client Officer Client Engagement 

Rebecca Greenberg, Executive Director Client Engagement 

Ali Benequisto, Group Director Client Engagement 

Samantha Cocuzza, Associate Director Client Engagement 

John Noble, Executive Producer 

Oliver Daily, Producer