We presented our award-winning TV spots for the Michigan Department of Community Health last week at a conference on “best healthcare marketing practices” put on by Comcast. Our most popular spot, “I Smoke While I’m Coloring” (below), evoked many nods of recognition, smiles and snickers, as it always does. Every single time we show it. MDCH has been running this spot for years and it continues to charm people. Continues to keep the Quitline ringing from parents who are moved enough to want to quit smoking for their kids too.
Our co-presenter was the University of Michigan Medical Center Director of Marketing who presented the beautiful Michigan Difference TV campaign. It too continues to move people every time they see it. Including me. And I’ve been eating it up for years.
Someone commented, “Those spots are awesome, but when do you know it’s time to do something different? When is it worn out?” which started a good conversation.
It’s an age old question as there really is no magic formula. I believe there are some “classics” that are so beautifully done, we always appreciate seeing them. They can be brought back and sprinkled into evolving campaigns to trigger the original memory and further build the desired image in the minds of consumers. Without realizing it, sometimes the client is the only one “worn out” from the campaign as they’re living it day in and day out. But their target audience isn’t. Their target audience is bombarded with over 3500 messages per day. If you’re lucky enough to actually be sending one that they NOTICE and LIKE, that actually RESONATES with them, stick with it as long as it works.
But how do you know? Focus group research and quantitative surveys probing message recall/appeal and brand recognition can help substantiate the consumer’s take on things. Anecdotal comments from the community, business leaders, docs and board members should never be taken lightly (although perhaps with a rational grain of salt). Achieving marketing and communication objectives - like the phone ringing, website click-throughs and patient visits are key indicators (they also help you keep your job!). Just be sure to let your internal audiences know how well the campaign is doing externally to keep the positive ambassadorship and message pride internally.
I think you mix some good common sense with some good analytics, keeping in mind…if it aint broke, you can tinker with it a little bit, but don’t wear yourself out trying to fix it. And enjoy your good fortune.
Got any classic spots you’d like to share with us? We’d love to hear about them.
Layoffs. Budget cuts. Credit crunches. Looking for the silver lining? Brogan & Partners is offering an opportunity for FREE recession strategy brainstorming sessions. It’s three hours with one of Detroit’s most innovative ad agencies. You’ll get our top marketing, media and creative minds — with no cost, obligation or strings. If you’re looking for creative new ways to make your brand work harder, today may be your lucky day.
Korean automaker Hyundai recently launched a new campaign giving potential customers a unique offer — you can return your new car if you lose your job within one year of buying it.
Forget $2,500 cash back, 0% financing, or even employee pricing — with the nation in economic turmoil, and unemployment numbers rising nationwide every month, Hyundai is offering their customers what you might call economic peace of mind.
It’s not the first time they’ve marketed a creative offer strategy. Remember, this is the company that gave customers reliability piece of mind with their 10 year, 10,000 mile warranty.
Is it a brilliant strategy during this time of decreased consumer confidence? Or is it another crazy offer to sell cars to people who maybe shouldn’t be buying a new car in the first place (remember sub prime home loans?)?
Only time will tell, but with Hyundai sales UP 14% in January, at a time when other autos would salivate over single digit negative numbers, they may be on to something. It might not be long before you see their competitors join in on this new sales strategy.
Check out the Brogan blog next Monday and see our new creative offer strategy that could help your company weather the recession.
I’m a huge fan of a recent T-Mobile advertising adventure. At 11 am on January 15th, 2009, after 8 weeks of practice and one late night at the train station in Liverpool, hidden cameras captured 400 dancers and T-Mobile’s plan to create a great commercial unfolded.
Capturing the attention of a live audience - and creating an emotional connection with the viewer at home… go ahead - just try not to smile!
When it comes to buying a car, consumers have hundreds of options to choose from. Same goes for selecting a hotel, a pair of jeans, a computer. We all know what we want and we aren’t going to settle for anything less.
So, why should choosing a hospital be any different? Well, most consumers don’t think it should be and they are asking for more….
And some hospitals have been smart enough to realize: it’s no longer enough to just provide the most cutting-edge technology or the greatest doctors. Take a look at this link to see some options offered at Henry Ford’s newest hospital.
Marketing efforts, for colleges and universities, have resulted in a media battleground lately. From career retraining to post-grad degrees, one can see how competitive it’s become – just from driving down the freeway or listening to the radio.
The University of Toledo has found ways to change the rules of the game by capturing Michigan students’ attention and enrollment by making out-of-state schools an affordable option. UT offers scholarships to the Michigan student who meets a certain criteria. These students are able to go to an out-of-state school without paying the out-of-state fee (and those fees can be almost double the cost per credit hour). This incentive makes UT a viable option and a true part of the competitive set. A message that stands out using mediums fit for the target – a perfect combination.
No, I’m not talking about the game – that was awesome! I’m talking about the advertising.
Yes, the economy is in the tank. And yes, the general public probably doesn’t want to see an over-the-top 30 or 60 second commercial that cost more than the budget of a small country to produce. But for pete’s sake, if you’re going to spend $3 million (or more) on a Super Bowl ad, with all of those eyeballs glued to the tube to watch your pitch, then do something interesting!!!
Don’t get me wrong, there were a couple of laugh-out-loud moments (Ed McMahon/MC Hammer shilling for Cash4Gold and the Monster.com moose head spots), but overall I think most brands played it way to safe. And I don’t think we’ll be remembering any of these spots 1, 5 or 10 years from now (especially the Danica Patrick spots for GoDaddy.com).
Thankfully for viewers the game was great, but it’s too bad the advertisers didn’t even come close to a touchdown this year.
Let us know what you thought.
But before you do, take another look at a spot from LAST YEAR’s game that I think is one of the all time greats. It’s got nostalgia, humor, great special effects, drama and an unexpected ending that is the icing on the cake. Man, I can watch this spot over and over and never get tired of it. Enjoy!
