Marketing Daily: A 'Tamiflu' For COVID Exposure? It's Here, And Advertising
Akin to a Tamiflu for COVID-19, pharma firm
Shionogi has launchedXocova, the first preventative treatment for anyone exposed to the still-dangerous virus.The launch is being supported a :90 commercial created by The Bloc, in which a man calls his mother to tell her he has COVID-19, thus having exposed both her and his dad to the
disease a day prior. She immediately calls her doctor and, at her son’s advice, asks about Xocova.The spot’s key message, “When you get the call, make the call,” is
designed to “instill urgency” in getting Xocova quickly after exposure, Asako Sakae, Shionogi’s senior director, consumer marketing lead, tells Marketing Daily. “When
you call somebody, you really want to get in touch with them. You might not see a text message, but a phone call signals real urgency.”advertisementadvertisementShe adds: “This is a new approach to
COVID management. Our goal is obviously to create brand awareness, but also awareness that there’s something you can do after exposure instead of just waiting and wondering.”The
spot, with media buying by SSCG, is running on broadcast networks like ABC and CBS, cable networks like CNN and Hallmark, and streaming services like Disney+ and Roku, she reveals. Display ads
are also running, both programmatically and on endemic sites like Sharecare, GoodRx and WebMD.The target audience is not just older Americans 50+ who are at higher risk for COVID, but also a
broader group of caregivers, including “people who live with people at high risk” and other concerned adults.“People tend to be more concerned about those around them
at times than about themselves,” she says. “But the real core attribute is they’re concerned about COVID. It could be for health reasons, it could be for lifestyle reasons.
They may have a job where they can’t take time off from work, or maybe they have a big vacation planned or a big meeting or a big event like a wedding that they don’t want to miss out
on.”In the next few weeks to months, Sakae says, the Xocova campaign will also be phasing in digital out-of-home and audio media, with outlets yet to be determined.In Japan,
where Xocova has been available since 2022, the medication has been approved for people starting at age 6, and for both treatment of COVID-19 (like Pfizer’s Paclovid) as well as prevention. In
the U.S., the FDA has only approved the drug for post-exposure in people aged 12 and over, but Shionogi has applied for pediatric and treatment indications as well.Xocova, a pill taken in a
five-day regimen, is meant to be started within three days of contact with someone who has COVID-19. Vaccination, “remains critical for helping to prevent severe disease, but may not stop
infection completely, particularly with new variants and as immunity wanes over time,” a Shionogi spokesperson points out.And lest anyone take the lack of news stories about COVID-19 as
evidence that the virus is gone, Sakae cautions, “COVID is still here, it still impacts millions of people. “Shionogi points to statistics from the U.S. Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention: Between Oct. 1, 2025, and July 11, 2026, the U.S. experienced 4.2 million to 12.7 million new COVID cases, resulting in 840,000 to 2.3 million outpatient visits, 130,000
to 250,000 hospitalizations and 14,000 to 42,000 deaths.
