Celebrities have been getting involved in healthcare marketing and advertising, whether that be for big healthcare organizations or advocacy groups. These organizations have also been using celebrities who may help them reach a demographic of Black and Latino people who have faced higher barriers to accessing healthcare.
The pandemic brought a renewed sense of importance to public health, so capitalizing off the new spotlight on health, many organizations have brought in big name celebrities to help them bring attention to their causes.
Queen Latifah recently partnered with Pfizer to voice an animation encouraging people to get tested for COVID-19 and speak to their physicians about taking oral antivirals. Fat Joe also featured in an advertisement for advocacy group Power to the Patients to press hospitals to comply with CMS price transparency laws. Oprah Winfrey and the Smithsonian Channel also have partnered to expose racial disparities in healthcare through a new industry campaign and documentary.
Given the racial health disparities brought to light during the pandemic, the choice of these celebrities, who are African American and Latino and are leaders within those communities, may signal organizations' awareness of needing to reach a demographic of people who have more barriers to accessing healthcare.