Intersections of Metaphor and Mythology in a COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Abstract

The use of campaign materials for vaccination campaigns is essential as such materials include preventive measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus, save more lives, and maximize the rollout of vaccines. Highlighting the realities of the pandemic as a crisis, this study aims to elucidate the intersectionalities of metaphor and mythology in a COVID-19 campaign material and explore its narrative relation to the crisis. Employing conceptual blending theory and textual analysis as analytical methods, the findings reveal that the vaccination campaign material localizes the health crisis using mythology and narrative norms. The material also used metaphors to contextualize the COVID-19 pandemic through mythical creatures in Philippine folklore. This is to emphasize the narrative relation of traditional preventive measures and the pandemic itself. The intersectional perspectives of metaphor and mythology embedded in the vaccination campaign material are not mere public announcements but rather creative tools for persuading primitive cultures about the realities of the pandemic and ways to counter it. Ultimately, the use of metaphor and folklore in campaigns signifies a crucial move to constitute crisis communication models to cater to multilingual communities and groups.