New York’s newest safety advertisement against COVID-19 features Friday the 13th‘s Jason Voorhees as he joins the fight against the virus. The ad is just the latest in the state’s attempt to encourage the public to wear masks, as that is currently the best defense against the coronavirus until the creation of a vaccine. With many businesses starting to reopen, specifically in New York, it remains ever important for the residents of the state to wear masks when not physically able to socially distance themselves from others.
The ad, posted to the Ogilvy Health Instagram, features the Friday the 13th serial killer as he walks around New York in his signature hockey mask, upset that so many people are scared by the sight of him. As the slasher explains in the short video, he just wants people to see the real him, as the sight of the mask on his face will make people uncomfortable. He explains that he is just a regular guy as a little girl hands him a face mask of his own. The video ends with the message, “Wearing a mask can be scary; not wearing one can be deadly.“
While humorous, the ad uses the character of Voorhees to explain a very necessary message as cases are on the rise once again all over the country. Ogilvy Health mentions in the post that it feels the best way to spread the message about wearing masks, especially to the younger citizens, is to employ the use of pop-culture, such as Friday the 13th, in their message. Ogilvy Health is an advertising agency that specializes in helping health brands and teamed up with Chimney Group Creation Studio to create this message.