Abstract:

It is well known that Covid 19 has influenced human beings all around the globe and has

significantly impacted their lives. Similar to this, the death rate following the spread of the

disease in developed countries is higher than in developing countries such as Pakistan. Since,

door to door campaigns were practiced in the whole country to get awareness about the fatal

virus and its vaccination. Considering these reasons, this study has opted for the case study

approach in the south Punjab , particularly in Multan to analyze the severity of this pandemic by

examining the effect of the public service campaigns regarding vaccination , perception of these

campaigns among public and role of Pakistani government that how he is handling this health

crisis. To accomplish these goals of the studies, by using convenience sampling, 300 responses

were gathered and analyzed in SPSS statistically and the findings of the study showed that males

are much aware from the severity of this disease and these are participated in the survey more

than females.uses and gratification and cultivation theory supports the whole study. Results also

concluded that the impact of covid 19 negatively impact the lives of the people and they

understood the benefit of vaccination and public service campaigns that generated through

social media, study also showed the role of Pakistani government who performed well in

handling the covid 19 health crisis. A part from the novelty of the study, this study is based on

case study approach and is delimited to one culture and region. Hence, in future different studies

may be conducted by using other approaches and by taking the larger population.

Keywords : Covid 19 , Socil media, user and gratification theory, public service campaigns ,

cultivation theory

Introduction and background:

COVID-19, the corona virus that causes respiratory illness, is much more serious in nature. It is a

viral infection with rapid global transmission that affects the respiratory system of humans

(Clark, Martin et al., 1998). Due to COVID-19, people are confronted with a variety of issues,

including a heightened fear of financial hardship, psychological stress factors, and a disruption of

their everyday lives. The COVID-19 had an impact on the social bonding of peoples as human

nature requires that people have a social network of friends and colleagues. In consequence,

there is a significant disruption in social life as a result of the continual precautions, bans on

outside activities (Webster et al., 2020).

COVID-19 had the greatest impact on the world economy since the Great Depression of the

1930s. COVID-19 adversely affects the global economy (He and Harris, 2020). Due to

widespread social isolation and lockdown tactics, COVID-19 has an immediate and devastating

impact on the global population. Although the epidemic is over, the impacts of COVID-19 on the

social, economic, cultural, and political spheres will persist. COVID-19 has a profound impact

on human life, on how people think, how they see the world, and how they live (He and Harris,

2020).

People participate in indoor activities and display sedentary behavior, and most of them are

interested in the internet and social media since they have little choice other than to remain at

home and communicate with their families via social media. The practice of social isolation is

widespread, which is also harmful to the health and safety of individuals ( Chen et al. 2020).
Various social networks such as Facebook, WhatsApp, Instagram, and Twitter may be used to

disseminate COVID-19 over the Internet. In addition, they had extensive knowledge of overseas

control of COVID-19, COVID-19 prevention advice, travel advice, the COVID-19 trans

campaign route, the number of confirmed cases and locations, information about the various

medications and vaccines, and information about the various populations and COVID-19

infection symptoms (Yang et al. 2020).

People are transitioning from print media to electronic media as a result of technological

progress. Before the advent of electronic media, there was a massive exchange of information

through print media. Information such as public service campaigns was regulated through these

media channels and was deemed to be the most expensive and least effective compared to

modern electronic communication channels. These days, electronic modes of communication are

the most prevalent, and they may encompass a variety of channels.

These are the most efficient, cost-effective, and rapid methods of disseminating information,

whether for campaigns promoting public services or other advantages. In every aspect, they aid

nations, governments, and societies by enabling the public in more effective and efficient ways
(Sehl et al., 2022)

Social media is a fast method of communication now and in the future since Android mobile

phones provide individuals with electronic communication and information tools in their

pockets, as well as access to global information. These Medias include Facebook, Twitter,

Instagram, WhatsApp, etc., as well as websites and television (Al-Dmour et al., 2020 )

With the spread of COVID-19, the initial intensity of COVID-19 was very high, causing people

to experience fear. It was essential for governments to control the situation and prevent the

spread of COVID-19. Various campaigns were launched by the government to educate the public

about the consequences of the problem, and the number of deaths was kept under control with

appropriate measures.

The Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative have launched a new public assistance

advertising campaign aimed at gaining the confidence of Americans who are hesitant to get

COVID-19 vaccinations. The "It's Up to You" campaign will highlight promotions in English

and Spanish for TV, bulletins, transport covers, online entertainment, and distributions, and will

include materials tailored for chapel pioneers, specialists, drug specialists, and others in the

Black and Hispanic population, where COVID-19 has hit hard but antibody uptake has slowed.
Those who are particularly susceptible to COVID-19 exposure, such as medical care personnel,

are more susceptible to experiencing anxiety, depression, insomnia, and unhappiness . Prior to

the COVID-19 pandemic, prevalence rates of discomfort and unpleasant side effects during

home control were much lower among Chinese adolescents . however, the public campaigness

regarding the awareness of covid 19 induced the positive impact regarding the safety measures

and adoption of precautions (Borges do Nascimento et al., 2020).

Research indicates that COVID-19 public service campaigns have a positive impact on people

worldwide, and social media is used by public service campaigns to seek information on

COVID-19.Additionally, the government of Pakistan handling the COVID-19 health crisis very

well, what is the perceived threat of COVID-19, perceived benefits of COVID-19 vaccine, and

what are the skepticism towards COVID-19 vaccines barriers,. In addition, the practices of the

Pakistani government influenced the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of

immunization campaigns and what role public service campaigns would play throughout

COVID-19, from its early stages to its vaccination process and also in its aftermath (Waris et al.,

2020)

Hence this study intended to sought the impact of Covid 19 in terms of the research questions

mentioned below in the Punjab jurisdiction particularly in Multan

3. What is the impact of public service campaigns about COVID-19 Vaccine?

4. How the government of Pakistan is handling the COVID-19 health crisis?

5. How do COVID-19 and public service campaigns affect the perception of COVID-19?

Public Service Campaign

A Public Service Announcement (PSA) appears to be like a TV advertisement however is

intended to instruct the crowd about a specific point as opposed to selling some sort of item. The

motivation behind these advertisements is to produce mindfulness or make a change in popular

assessment on something significant, for example, drug utilization, smashed driving, disease

check-ups, or forestalling backwoods fires (Bonell et al., 2020).

Most open help publicizing incorporates joint undertakings of the private and public regions.

Non-benefit get-togethers and government workplaces ordinarily team up with private wide

interchanges, headway and publicizing firms to convey spots for radio, TV and print media.

Most usually, the non-benefit office makes the message and a campaign firm fosters the

campaign, shines it to satisfy industry guidelines and plans its appropriation, all for nothing.

Television and radio stations for the most part communicated these promotions at no charge, and

magazines and papers ordinarily circulate them for nothing as well. it was observed that those

public service campaigns which presents on social media cultivates the mind of individuals

according. Similarly, public service campaigns of social media can well influenced the public as

compared to news media

Public service announcements started out after the United States entered World War II when

radio commentators and pre-roll promotions in cinemas would attempt to constrain watchers and

audience members to help the conflict exertion. The United States and its military being

supportive by convey importance message like “Loose lips sink ships”. Public help declarations

are assembled and delivered by the Ad Council, charitable training-based association. In basic
terms, Public Service Campaign can be perceived as fuse and channelization of a message in the

public interest scattered with practically no charge, with the objective of exposing issues of

ordinary citizens (jin et al., 2021).

Types of Public Service Campaign

It is very difficult to communicate to public via different media campaigns that are related to

health and medical issues. Different print media campaigns are used for different types of

requirements, issues and matters. selection of appropriate medium for certain kind of public

campaigns are necessary to impact the public. Different types of public service are hereby

discussed.

Display Campaign

The display campaign includes banner ads, which are little advanced promotions or standards

placed in promotion surrounding blog posts, keyword search pages, sites, and so on. Ads may be

animated and moving .display campaigns used for commercial advertising or promotions that are

paid by those individuals who have the ownership. Banner campaigns that are associated to

medical issues usually funded by Government (Liu et al., 2012).

Video Campaign

In today’s digital marketing environment, Video ads are quite popular campaign types and it

makes sense. A complex story can easily be understood with the help of video campaign that

display in the form of entertainment, information and eye catching. Video campaigns usually

presented via television or via social media ads and targets the individuals that Primarily

interested in them. Public service campaigns Advertiser utilize media stream video

advertisements and in transfer video promotions. Government use media campaigns to spread

clear awareness regarding the public health hazards (Neumann et al., 2022 ).
2.2.3 Mobile Campaign

More individuals are consuming internet based content through their cell phones than any time in

recent memory because Mobile campaign is quickly becoming the new norm. Mobile campaign

is essentially, advertisements that are improved for portable utilization. Mobile ads are quite

broad cam include app, search, video, or social ads. For most brands, video-based web-based

entertainment portable advertisements are an incredible spot to begin. From these kinds of

advertisements on platform like Instagram health and wellness brands could definitely benefit

(O'Barr , 2012).

Native Campaign

This type of promoting is straightforward advertisement content that is coordinated into a piece

of content. Sponsored content is included in the native advertisement they are considered ‘non-

disruptive” ad. These advertisements will match the style and stream of the substance it shows

up in without being pushy is problematic. For instance, spring up advertisements and auto play

recordings are viewed as troublesome and can frequently adversely affect one's potential client

base. Sometime native add is more attractive not disruptive to consumer. They can come in the

form of videos, blog posts, photos, etc. It’s important to invest in a reliable platform while health

campaign that can handle programmatic targeted campaign.

Door to Door COVID-19 vaccination campaign in Pakistan

On the door-to-door campaign about COVID-19, Dr. Sohail Raza Shaikh, representing the

government, explained that the government of Pakistan has organized public service campaigns
to spread awareness about the dangers of the pandemic, thereby targeting communities less

familiar with the vaccine for the pandemic.

Whether other countries have sought to bring the vaccine to people's doorsteps is unknown, but

Pakistani health officials claim that they are unaware of any similar effort elsewhere. It could

serve as a model for other developing countries struggling to increase vaccination rates (Chugg

et al., 2021)

Sources of Social media campaigns:

Different platforms are used for social media campaigns such as instagam, twitter, snap

chat,whatsapp and Facebook.youtube has also included in social media campaign where public

service messages are communicated to public to spread awareness for the public.

Uses and Gratification

The Uses and Gratifications Theory, one of the approaches to the use of social media, argues that

individuals use social media to meet their needs, such as information, knowing what friends are

doing, and making self-presentations, communicating, and having fun.Similarly this theory

deems fit about the use of social media and the association of this with perceived image , thought

, awareness and practice(Nadkarni & Hofmann, 2012; Piwek & Joinson, 2016). According to

researchers and analysts, media clients trace the sources that provide them the most effective

means of fulfilling their needs. It is presumed by the Utilizations and Gratifications Theory

(Griffin and Neal 2000) that users have alternative options that must meet their necessities.

3.2 Theory of Cultivation

The Cultivation Theory of George Gerbner was used in this study to examine outcomes and

impacts. With the addition of this theory, another speculation will be possible as a result of this

study.

Long-term exposure to media has been predicted to alter the way in which consumers perceive

the world and the way in which they behave in the future. In the cultivation hypothesis, it is

argued that the more people watch television, the more likely they are to hold a view of reality

that is closer to that which is presented on television.

Methodology :

The scope of this study is limited to the Multan region. Taking into consideration the general

public while selecting the sample, the convenient sampling technique is used to select the sample

for this study. Through the use of WhatsApp and Facebook applications, almost five hundred

individuals were targeted. The link to the questionnaire was shared and responses are collected.

A total of approximately 300 responses have been collected, which is a good response rate.

This study is descriptive in nature, therefore, a questionnaire is used to collect data. Following a

study of relevant literature, a semi-structural questionaire is developed. It includes closed-ended

questions. The closed-ended items were presented on Likert and dichotomous scales,

respectively, with multiple options. In the first part of the questionnaire, demographic

information is requested, while in the second part, we ask questions that are directly related to
the discussion topic. Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software was used to analyze

the data and a variety of equations were applied.sult extracted through percentage and frequency

of the responses to meet the research objectives.

Item no 1: Gender wise detail.

Table: 1

Sr.no Items Frequenc Percent

Male. 220 73.3

1 Female. 80 26.6

Total. 300 100.0

According to the table no 1 , it has been observed that mal e participants are higher than female

participants.

Table: 2
 Sr. No Items Frequenc Percent

18-27 187 62..3

2 28-27 87 29.0

38-47 22 7.33

48-57 04 1.3

Total 300 100.0

Table number no 2 depicts that mostly participants falls in the age group of 18-27
Item no 3 : The government of Pakistan is handling the COVID-19 health crisis very well.

Table: 3

Sr. No Frequenc Percent

Items y

6 Agr
214 71.3
ee

Disa
34 11.3
gree

I am 52 17.33
 not

sure

Tota
300 100.0
l

Table 3 shows the government of Pakistan is handling the COVID-19 health crisis very well.

71.3 % of respondents agreed and 11.3 % disagreed, and 17.3% not sure about the statement.

Item No 4: COVID-19 Vaccine” is

Table: 4

Frequenc
Sr. No. Item Percentage
y

Not at all reliable 17 5.6

9
Not reliable 44 14.66
 Reliable 129 43

Very reliable 70 23,33

Extremely
40 13.33
reliable

Total 300 100

Table no 4 shows COVID-19 Vaccine” is that 5.6% of respondents says Not at all reliable,

14.66 % of respondents says not reliable, 43% of respondents says reliable, 23.33% respondents

say very reliable, and 13.33% of respondents says Extremely.

Item No 5: Is about believe on COVID-19 is severe.

Table: 5

Sr. Frequenc
Item Percentage
No. y

Strongly Disagree. 12 4

Disagree. 60 20

Neutral. 62 20.66

Agree. 73 24.33

Strongly Agree. 93 31

Total 300 100.0

Table no 5 shows agreed respondents are 24,33% and disagrees respondents with the statement

are 20%. 20.66 % are neutral. While, strongly disagreed respondents are 4 percent. It supported

that believe on COVID-19 is severe.

Item No 6 : It is related to the daily routine, and safety behavior from COVID-19.

Table No 6

Sr. Frequenc
Item Percentage Mean
No. y

13. Strongly Disagree. 20 6.66 3.67

Disagree. 31 10.33
 Neutral. 68 22.6

Agree. 91 30.33

Strongly Agree. 90 30

Total 300 100.0

Table no 5.13 shows agreed respondents are 61.6% and disagreed respondents with the statement

are 17.4% .3.67 is Mean score. It supports that the daily routine, and safety behavior from

COVID-19.

6.3 Conclusion of the Study

This study aimed to find out the impact of public service media campaigns regarding COVID-19.

hence, A Case Study of Multan was examined to get the view of public service campaigns
including suggestions regarding the topic . Since it addresses the current status of research, it id

descriptive in nature. The survey method was considered appropriate for conducting this study.

Additionally, The population of this study was including the general public of the Multan region.

Greater part of the respondents was from the age gathering of 18-27, from joint family

framework. Results presented that Pakistan is handling the crisis of covid 19 very well and the

respondents believe that covid 19 vaccine prevents them from covid 19 and public service

campaigns related to covid 19 are useful to get the awareness about it. As per the perceptions of

the respondents about covid 19, it is concluded the vaccine of this pandemic is beneficial of the

individuals and work as a safety measure. Majority of the respondents have confidence that

Pakistan will win the battle against COVID-19. People also believe that Pakistan can handle the

COVID-19 very well.

Recommendations of the Study

Listed below are the recommendations of the study, which are based on the results and

interpretations from the findings drawn in this study.

There must be a health-related campaign of this nature in the region.

More seminars and workshops need to be organized in order to raise awareness of COVID-19.

The benefits of vaccination with COVID-19 should be the subject of a media campaign

COVID-19 initiatives taken by the Pakistan Government must be considered.

The media campaign must be presented in an understandable manner.

 Vaccines for all regions should be available since people can access any vaccine.

The psychological campaign should be launched to ease the minds of those who are feeling

anxious and exhausted as a result of the COVID-19.

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