cidrap.umn.eduWild to Mild
CDC flu vaccination campaign launched fall 2023 that pairs wild animals with tame ones (a shark becomes a goldfish) to reset expectations: a flu shot may not stop infection but can make illness milder. Ran a second season in 2024-25 and was reportedly halted, and its web page emptied, in early 2025 amid the HHS leadership change.
- Years
- 2023–2025
- Country
- United States
- Topic
- Infectious diseaseVaccination
- Asks people to
- Start
- Strategy
- HumorMetaphor
- Channel
- Social (paid)TV
- Audience
- AdultsParentsHigher-risk groups, especially pregnant women and parents of young children, whose flu vaccination dropped after COVID-19.
Evidence
Self-reportedUnknown
CDC communications lead said year one was well received in consumer testing; no outcome evaluation found.
Sponsor (who paid)
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Federal government, funder and creator
Credits (who made it)
- Weber Shandwick Creative, 2023-2025 source
Sources
- New Wild to Mild Campaign Drives Key Message to Tame Flu and Reset Expectations (CDC) sponsor · 2023
- CDC launches 'wild to mild' flu vaccine campaign (CIDRAP) news · 2023
- CDC unleashes 'Wild to Mild' campaign again to boost flu vaccination rates (Fierce Pharma) news · 2024
- CDC's 'Wild to Mild' flu vaccine campaign muzzled amid HHS handover: report (Fierce Pharma) news · 2025
- CDC's Wild to Mild campaign roars back to curb flu misinformation (Campaign US) news
Research notes
End year 2025 reflects reported halt (NPR via Fierce Pharma); confirm whether it resumed. Campaign page content was reportedly removed in Feb 2025, so the Wayback Machine may be needed for executions. Meta Ad Library / Google Ads Transparency Center: search advertiser 'Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)' (Meta page 'CDC'). Credits checked 2026-10-22 against fetched pages: Campaign US (MM+M) article of 31 Oct 2024 (via Wayback) runs the campaign image with 'Photo credit: Weber Shandwick, used with permission'; the matching contract is CDC task order 75D30120F08104 to IPG DXTRA, Inc. (Weber Shandwick's Interpublic parent unit), 'NCIRD communications support', Sep 2020-Mar 2026, USD 66.5M (https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_75D30120F08104_7523_HHSD2002015M88164B_7523). Neither source says outright that Weber Shandwick created the campaign; CDC says it grew out of a dozen focus groups in mid-2023. Reuse terms checked 2026-10-23 by an AI research pass for #47; not yet reviewed by a person.
Record cases/cdc-wild-to-mild.json, updated 2026-10-23· Link to this campaign