Some US businesses promoting vaccination efforts to help public health and their bottom line

Businesses are getting more involved with the fight against the coronavirus by offering incentives for people to get vaccinated in a move they see as helping both public health and their bottom lines.

The promotions range from on-site vaccinations to coupons and freebies. The New York Mets and New York Yankees announced this week they will open their stadiums as vaccination sites for fans before games, part of a coordinated effort with the state’s health department, while some bars in Washington, D.C., are offering free beer at vaccine pop-up sites.

From a financial perspective, the marketing efforts by companies give them a way to bring in more customers or get regular customers spending more. Those moves are coinciding with a slowdown in vaccination rates that employers would rather see increase so that states will lift more of their COVID-19 restrictions.

“Businesses in the private sector absolutely have an important role to play in this, and they're able to engage people in different and at times more substantive ways than the government and public health messengers right now,” said Andrew Jarrell, chief strategy officer at the communications firm Group Gordon.

“The smart ones and the ones that are doing the right thing will really embrace and play that role and in a way that obviously makes sense for them and for their constituents,” he added. 

The NFL got in on the action this past week by announcing fans can enter a lottery to win free tickets to next year’s Super Bowl. The promotion requires participants to share their stories of why they got vaccinated or will soon do so.

As a smaller perk, the NFL is giving vaccinated consumers 25 percent off purchases made on its website later this year.

Retailers are also focusing on discounts.

Target said this past week that it is offering $5 coupons to customers who get vaccinated in its stores, while Albertsons Companies is offering up to $200 in free groceries for customers who get their vaccines at in-store pharmacies in supermarkets including ACME, Safeway and Randalls. ...