External Link - Source: Philadelphia Inquirer
In May 2011, the CDC launched a zombie apocalypse social media campaign to raise public awareness around the importance of emergency preparedness. The zombie approach — which included a comic book featuring vicious looking zombies and blog post by Assistant Surgeon General Ali S. Khan (inaugurating a full zombie category of posts) — was a novel spin on a decade’s worth of unsuccessful efforts aimed at getting Americans to prepare for natural disasters and public emergencies (i.e., stockpile extra food and water, have duct tape and flash lights on hand, make a plan, etc). The CDC thought a “sexier” approach might get more people interested this serious issue.