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Scene from the vaccination commercial "Hello Again" by the Federal Ministry of Health
Suddenly singing together was considered dangerous.
For many people, this is likely to be one of the more impressive moments in the pandemic.
Because this made two things clear: How the virus spreads from person to person, but also how much joie de vivre must be sacrificed in the fight against Corona.
In this respect, the motif of the Federal Ministry of Health's new commercial for the vaccinations against Covid-19 has been cleverly chosen.
After her vaccination appointment, a young woman steps out into the street with a sigh of relief, in the background the first lines of Howard Carpendale's classic hit about seeing you again, "Hello Again", can be heard.
First they are sung by a single female voice, then a street musician joins in and in the second chorus even a polyphonic choir, while scenes are shown in which more and more people come together, full of joy at reunion.
Many of the events shown in the clip live from singing together, the birthday party, the live concert, the filled soccer stadium.
According to the ad, all of this will be possible again if enough people are vaccinated.
“Every vaccination counts” is displayed.
"Hello Again" - released in 1984, but also in the ears of younger generations thanks to revival loops and cover versions - the agency Scholz & Friends has apparently identified as the song that fits the mainstream phase of the vaccination campaign.
It seems that enough vaccine is now available, the target group is the entire (adult) population.
Now it is no longer a question of explaining vaccination, but above all of motivating you to really go there.
It's not so much about the mind, it's a spot for feeling.
It was better not to let Hasselhoff sing
The health institutions of other countries have already used the emotionally motivating power of music in their vaccination communication.
The French government, for example, published a spot in mid-June that used very similar opening motifs as the new German advertising film - right up to the finale in the again filled Stade de France.
However, the French backed the video with the euphoric song "Freedom" by Pharrell Williams.
However, the German government had already alluded to the motive of regaining freedom in its campaign - with David Hasselhoff as testimonial: "I found freedom with vaccination".
It was better not to let him sing.
However, other countries had already taken up the slightly comedic approach on which Hasselhoff's video message was based in their vaccination advertisements. The health authority of the Chinese province of Sichuan presented a rapping doctor. And Singapore had the cast of a popular comedy series sing a disco song about vaccination - refrain: "Better get your shot / Steady pom pi pi".
The Carpendale classic, which he once wrote together with Irma Holder and Joachim Horn-Bernges, first had to be recontextualized into a vaccine hit. In Austria, on the other hand, they tried to work on a commissioned composition in the hit genre: "Baby, let's vaccinate, me and you, the two of us," it says in a song that DJ Möwe recorded for the Austrian Health Insurance Fund - a major social insurance company. "Come on, we're going to vaccinate now, you can trust me": Are these the lines that convince people who are skeptical about vaccinations?
What such commercials ultimately contribute to the success of a vaccination campaign will of course be difficult to gauge anyway.
But if they hit the wrong note at the wrong time, they can get the authorities into trouble as a whole, as the Australian government experienced in New South Wales: It put on the shock process in a commercial and showed a young woman breathless - viewers protested and posed found out that not enough vaccine had been obtained.
It is clear that the different phases of the vaccination campaign focus on different target groups.
In Germany, the focus was initially on the older generation, with Uschi Glas as the informant and the content-related reference to polio.
In the USA, with four historical presidents and first ladies as vaccination models, a wide spectrum has been covered.
In recent times, however, more and more advertisements are targeting younger audiences.
The poster series of the French region Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur was highly praised, in which people kissing, for example, are shown under the motto: "Yes, the vaccine can also have undesirable side effects".
A kiss also brings the frozen party life back to life in a spot by the Danish health authorities.
One campaign should not be forgotten in all national efforts: as early as January, a Norwegian agency for the world children's aid organization Unicef presented spots and posters calling for vaccines not to become a luxury item for the rich on earth.
If it stays that way, the Howard Carpendale song could also have a completely different connotation in the future: If the virus were to say "Hello Again" again and again in Germany thanks to new variations from all over the world.