When you are sounding like a scratched record, change up the comms

So it’s official, the vaccination of Australia is now a race.

In fact, it’s just like an Olympic swimming race. When we reach a 70% vaccination rate, we will hear the final lap bell ring. Then we storm home and touch the wall at 80%.

After which we can all get out of this fetid COVID pool and return to life as normal.

The vaccines are now available, which means reaching the target is now totally up to us.

In the interests of creating maximum competitive tension to make us go faster, we need to turn this into a fully-fledged state-versus-state battle.

Despite the medical experts telling us a gazillion times to get the jab, too many people are hesitating. But there will be a stampede to the doctor if it means beating those bloody Victorians. Or those pesky Queenslanders. Or those whinging “insert your least preferred state here”.

Once we get our 1st and 2nd jabs, we can cheer on our friends, family and neighbours to win the most treasured prize for our state – freedom from lockdown.

The Federal Government should build a big online scoreboard where we can watch the action unfold.

Sadly their current website material just doesn’t cut the mustard. Seriously, the whole idea of an infographic is to simplify a complex topic. This is just a page full of numbers that makes your eyes bleed.

Instead, the Government should do what three smart guys called Jack, Darcy and Wes from the CovidBaseAU website have done………and represent it like this.

Tasmania and the ACT are clearly out in front while QLD and WA are lagging behind.

NSW, Victoria and SA are neck and neck in the middle of the pack.

Let me improve the graph ever so slightly to make it easier to follow than the 50m freestyle final.

State bragging rights are a powerful incentive.

The sports betting companies would no doubt be quick to dive into the market. Nothing like having a punt to increase buy-in to a race.

Most importantly, it will give Jimmy Rees a new catchphrase. “Look at the scoreboard darling!”

Of course, I’m being a little facetious but I’ve always loved a bit of nudge theory, where a very minor tweak of the methodology can create a major change in behaviour.

To date, politicians and medical officers have gone blue in the face repeating their messages – get the jab, wear a mask, stay at home, blah, blah, blah.

But it has clearly lacked the cut through to achieve the behavioural change we need.

Now is the time to bring some serious creativity to the comms. Something that gets us all off our collective arses and down to a vaccination station at much a faster rate.

Otherwise this 50m sprint will turn into a 1,500m grind.