• by Les Luchter , September 17, 2024

Photo Credit: Brooke Shields photo by Pamela Hanson

Shingles doesn’t care, but Brooke Shields sure does.

During Sunday night’s Emmy telecast, GSK’s long-running ad campaign for its Shingrix vaccine received satirical praise by being evoked twice during remarks by actor Martin Short. “Shingles doesn’t care,” intoned a deep voice and an on-screen graphic after Short said how “excited” and “happy” he was. Then, following similar remarks by Short a couple of minutes later, viewers learned that “Shingles still doesn’t care.”

GSK wouldn’t comment on the use of its ad line, but the next day, Brooke Shields, who was elected president of the Actors Equity union in May, joined an unbranded campaign from the big pharma firm to educate adults 50 and over about the risk of shingles and the need to get vaccinated against it.

As part of the pharma company's ongoing “Thrive@50+” campaign, the 59-year-old Shields has directed a 3-minute film about shingles, featuring herself, other 50+ influencers -- football mom Donna Kelce, actress Gina Torres (“Suits”), reality TV star Susan Noles (“The Golden Bachelor”) – and former shingles patients sharing their stories.

“The unfair twist is that just as we’ve reached this time of our lives where we feel like the best version of ourselves, we’re also experiencing new health risks,” Shields said in a press release announcing her partnership with GSK. “When I learned that people over 50 are at an increased risk for shingles, I couldn’t help myself from starting the conversation.”

In addition to the video, GSK tells Marketing Daily that Shields, as new Thrive@50+ spokesperson, “will continue to share relevant shingles disease education content on her social media channels and in media.”

GSK says it launched Thrive@50+ two years ago as a national public health initiative designed “to educate  people 50 and older about their risk for shingles, due to the natural aging of the immune system, and the impact the disease can have on everyday life.”

Last year’s spokesperson was actress Garcelle Beauvais (“The Jamie Foxx Show,” “NYPD Blue”).

The Shields-directed video, which was produced by GSK in collaboration with the Chandler Chicco PR agency, will run on Thrive@50s+’s Instagram and Facebook pages, and on the Instagram pages of the video participants.   

Another Thrive@50+ participant this year is fashion and lifestyle photographer Pamela Hanson, who shot portraits of the video participants for the campaign. GSK says the shots showcase women 50 years of age and older who have stepped into their power with age and are owning their health by being aware of their risk for shingles.”