Vaccinating the World: Social Influencers and COVID- 19 Advocacy

Influencers wield unique powers of persuasion, often emanating from social clout gained within specific networks and communities. They have often been leveraged by commercial organizations to increase the awareness of their brands and boost sales, touting everything from food to cosmetics. This chapter demonstrates the extent of their influence beyond commercial engagements, into the dimension of social causes. The chapter highlights the ability of governments, health agencies, and other public institutions to leverage influencers and their powers of persuasion in shaping global discourse and human behavior, particularly amid the COVID-19 pandemic and the current wave of vaccine hesitance around the world. Guidelines for leveraging influencers in this global agenda are outlined. Target Audience For practitioners and policymakers in healthcare, as well as students studying influencer marketing and/or public healthcare, the views espoused in this chapter provide valuable lessons on how social influencers can be employed as ambassadors to communicate pertinent health information and encourage favorable responses from target audiences.