Brief:

• Theraflu debuted an influencer marketing campaign that urges Black and Latinx consumers to get a flu shot and raise awareness for the effort on social media, per information emailed to Mobile Marketer.
• The cold and flu medicine marketed by GSK's consumer health unit is asking people to post a selfie with a branded Giphy sticker after receiving a flu shot, along with tagging the @Theraflu handle and using the #FightingFluTogether hashtag. A campaign microsite points to VaccineFinder, which lets people search for nearby providers of vaccines.
• Aimed at underserved Black and Latinx communities, the push also has Theraflu working with diverse content creators and small businesses to assemble "sick kits" that include Theraflu Hot Liquids treatments and other items from their favorite Black- and Latinx-owned businesses. The influencers will give out personalized sick kits to their followers, showing how the marketer is looking to tap into a sense of community.  

Insight:

Theraflu's #FightingFluTogether campaign aims to support Black and Latinx communities during cold and flu season, which has taken on new risks this year as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to resurge during the winter months. The health crisis has had a disproportionately negative impact on Black and Latinx consumers who either lack access to healthcare or work in public settings where they're more likely to be exposed to the coronavirus, The New York Times has reported.

By working with influencers and small businesses, Theraflu could reach an audience of younger consumers and entrepreneurs who use social media to keep in touch with friends, family and customers while they limit in-person contact to avoid infection. Utilizing Giphy, Theraflu can integrate branded stickers while encouraging people to create user-generated content that will spread its message in an organic fashion. Earlier this year, Facebook acquired the image-sharing platform, which has continued to crop up in mobile marketing campaigns by brands including Wendy's and Jif.

Theraflu's cause-oriented drive is another sign of how influencer marketing has grown more diverse after protests against racial inequality raised awareness about social issues. More than a third (36%) of consumers who follow influencers said they had followed a more diverse group of influencers than they did before nationwide protests started in the spring, according to a study by coupon company Valassis. Those trends are likely to continue, considering that Generation Z is the most racially and ethnically diverse group in U.S. history and tends to favor brands that support social causes.

Campaigns to provide aid to Black and Latinx communities this year have become more pronounced amid the stresses of the pandemic and social unrest. Among the recent campaigns, financial services company Barclays last month started livestreaming a series about wealth creation in the Black community to provide advice on overcoming financial hardship. Snack brand Tostitos raised money for Latinx families suffering financial hardship with a livestreamed event hosted by actor Mario Lopez, while Tecate beer hosted a concert series that sought donations to help displaced Hispanic restaurant workers.