‘Drawing from product innovation theory, Rohit Deshpandé and colleagues offer three recommendations to speed adoption of COVID-19 vaccines...
‘Governments are prioritizing certain groups to receive the vaccine, with medical professionals and certain government personnel at the top, followed by first responders and vulnerable populations, and then the general population. The diffusion of innovations model indicates that each of these groups will have five customer segments based on their willingness to get vaccinated earlier or later. For example, some medical professionals will be eager to get vaccinated early (the innovators, early adopters, and majority) while others will wait (the late majority and laggards).
‘So, how do we maximize the number of individuals in any prioritized group who are willing, if not eager, to get vaccinated as soon as possible?
‘The answer requires keen understanding of each segment, for example, of both the seniors in the early majority and the seniors that are laggards less keen on taking the vaccine. The diffusion of innovations research indicates that a combination of personal and societal factors influence the rate of adoption within and between segments factors, with the ultimate driver being word of mouth.
‘For the COVID-19 vaccine, the personal factors include people’s perceived efficacy and need for the vaccine, past immunization experiences, and opinions about vaccines more generally, along with those of their families.
‘Societal drivers include the advice of experts, media, and other influencers within their demographic, socioeconomic, and innovation adoption segment. Influencers will need to mitigate concerns about the “newness” of the vaccine, such as the probability of side effects and solutions when they occur. They will also need to reinforce the positive consequences of taking the vaccine, such as the ability to visit family, go to work, and have more entertainment options.’
Read here (Harvard Business School, Jan 29, 2021)
