The Sun kicked off 2021 with its ‘Jabs Army’ campaign, in a bid to recruit volunteers to help with the coronavirus vaccine rollout.
Backed by the NHS and Health Secretary Matt Hancock, The Sun’s campaign encouraged people to sign up to the NHS Volunteer Responder Programme, assisting the vaccination team by guiding people on site, ensuring social distancing and identifying people who needed additional support.
The Sun had backing from some of Britain’s best-known brands including BT, British Airways, Sky and TUI to support this massive national effort. They encouraged their huge, combined workforce of more than half a million workers to volunteer as stewards, while donating unused spaces to help with the biggest vaccination programme in our history.
The news brand partnered with the Royal Voluntary Service and GoodSAM app to help push the campaign, which was heavily promoted in The Sun’s print editions and across digital formats.
Celebrities including Gary Lineker, Jeremy Clarkson, Matt Lucas, Gordon Ramsay and Piers Morgan also threw their weight behind the drive. Within three weeks of launch, 50,000 readers had signed up to help; the campaign was so successful that it was repeated in June of that year to ensure the over-50s had their second dose.
The Jabs Army campaign was awarded ‘Editorial Campaign of the Year’ by Campaign magazine.
This is one of the most important campaigns The Sun has ever run. Never has the country needed our brilliant loyal readers more. I will be volunteering, along with other members of The Sun’s staff, ready to do what we can to help us on our road to freedom. No job is too big or too small. Together we can do this to save lives and get Britain back on our feet.
The Sun editor-in-chief, Victoria Newton
