Healthcare Marketing
Innovative healthcare marketing example #12.
Memorial Hermann will be doing more than putting pins in patients today. They will be pinning a live brain tumor resection. Brain surgery on Pinterest? Yep. I'm not sure if it's the right social platform - it's not where I'd go to get up to speed on leading brain surgery centers - but it's certainly innovative. As is the hospital's social media machine. This Texas hospital performed the world's first live-tweeted open heart surgery a few weeks back. When this reaped 125 million views via Twitter, Storify and media coverage, they decided to go for it again. Adding in Pinterest.
Today's brain surgery will be performed by Dr. Dong Kim, the surgeon who operated on former congresswoman, Gabrielle Giffords. While surgeries have been tweeted in the past, this will be the first to share the feed from the surgeon's fiber optic microscope. Real time pics and videos will be posted on Twitter, YouTube and Storify.
According to Nielson @Plan, homemakers index 204 on Pinterest, meaning they are 104 times more likely to be on this site. So Pinterest definitely reaches the female healthcare decisionmaker. But will she want to look at photos of brain surgery while hunting for recipes and fashion tips?
(Image from IdeaStream.com)
Time will tell. I think one thing's for sure. Memorial Hermann is living up to its themeline of "100 Years of Patient-Centered Care and Innovation." Not only with its team of expert docs, but its team of social media experts.
What do you think of surgeries on Pinterest? Is it over the top? Or is this hospital ahead of the curve?
Innovative healthcare marketing example # 11.
One man. In a box. For one month. No, he's not homeless. Just kinda unhealthy. Until Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota put "Scott the Human Doing" in a glass apartment at the Mall of America. There he learned in the public eye, and with their help, how to be healthier. Sit-ups. Tai chi. Pilates. Cooking and eating fruits and vegies. Whatever his audience desired. Scott did exercises directed by Facebook and Twitter polls. He also spent a lot of time connecting with folks via posts, tweets and videoblogs. And marveling over the support they gave him, which he says made all the difference.
The brilliance in this disruptive campaign is the two way communication. We've all heard that we should exercise and eat better. But this campaign showed and engaged people. In a real and memorable way, with live results. As for the results? National buzz. Over 2 million social media impressions. Over 4300 Facebook fans. Over 500 Twitter followers. Thousands of on-site impressions from people at Minnesota's most popular tourist attraction. Not to mention Scott dropping 29 pounds and 110 cholesterol points in just 30 days.
The Human Doing is part of BCBS of Minnesota's "do campaign". Getting people to move and groove at home, work, school, their community, etc. to fight obesity. Testimonial TV ads spotlight people explaining the excuses they used of why they couldn't lose weight ("I told myself it was hereditary"). Each ends with the thinner, healthier person "do dancing" with the funny "do dance" guy who makes you smile.
I think BCBS of Minnesota is doing a good job of getting people to do. What do you think?
A secondhand smoke YouTube singing sensation.
Never underestimate the power of a good idea. It will stick in your head for years. It will push itself to the forefront among other ideas. And when the right people see it and believe in its potential, they will jump on your bandwagon. I came up with the idea for “Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Rose”, 17 years ago working on the Michigan Department of Community Health account at Brogan. At the time, we were doing some TV spots, so radio wasn’t in the budget and YouTube did not exist. But the tune, “Secondhand Rose,” (which is in public domain) and my rewrite of the words had a sticking factor. And the tune stuck in my head for years. So recently when I heard MDCH needed a radio spot about secondhand smoke for parents of young children, I remembered that idea from long ago. Of course, the original script was gone, considering it was written on one of the first Macs! But I recreated it. And I couldn’t have scripted what happened next better. Our wonderful clients at MDCH, Kelly Niebel and Jason Holben, let us produce it as both a radio spot and a YouTube video (the latter has over 4,000 hits just after a couple weeks). Serendipitously, we found the perfect talent shooting another spot for STEM awareness. We called in favors to make it amazing and stay in budget. But the icing on the cake: powerful results. The calls to the Michigan Tobacco Quit Line were so dramatic, one of our clients exclaimed she “almost fell out of my chair.” So that great idea you have, it can happen. It just may need a little longer incubation period. What do you think of our “Secondhand Smoke, Secondhand Rose” spot for the Michigan Department of Community Health? I'm glad it stuck in my head all those years!
Innovative healthcare marketing example #10.
How often do you get to do really cool healthcare transit advertising? I have to give our client, Covenant HealthCare, a big pat on the back for being great partners in letting us create 6 really cool buswraps for them. And for wrapping up a Silver Addy at the Great Lakes Bay Addy Awards last week for their transit campaign. Here are photos of 2 of the winning buses. The big idea? Use the entire bus to break through and create a wow factor for Covenant's messages. Caution tape wraps the Emergency & Trauma bus. The Pediatric bus uses the actual wheels of the bus for the baby stroller wheels. Kudos to Covenant for taking their brand to the streets.
Let us know what you think. And please share your really cool transit advertising with us.
Innovative healthcare marketing example #9.
Did you catch the Ozzy Osbourne "Colonoscopy Sweepstakes" spot on the Grammy's Sunday night? Grand prize winner gets flown to New York for 3 nights in a luxury hotel overlooking Central Park, cash, and the main event - a free ride to New York-Presbyterian Hospital for a free colonoscopy! The hokey approach kind of threw me for a loop and I thought maybe it was a hoax. But it sparked my interest enough to check it out on the CBS Cares website. Sure enough, it's for real. CBS Cares has been doing PSAs for a host of health care causes for many years. Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne's participation is inspired by Sharon's successful battle against colon cancer.
Personally, I'd rather experience the discomforts of this procedure close to home, but for the uninsured and/or adventurous, perhaps this is just what the doctor ordered! There's something for everyone and if it gets people to get their colonoscopy or garners interest in the topic, it's a winner in my book.
Take a look and tell me what you think of this innovative healthcare marketing example.
A Super Bowl showstopper - Madonna isn't the only thing still in vogue.
Madonna revived her 90's hit VOGUE at the SuperBowl half-time show last night. Prompting Bogan & Partners to revive BOGUE, our award-winning anti-smoking commercial for the Michigan Department of Public Health. Our client debuted it shortly after the release of VOGUE and we think it has held up as well as Madonna.
Innovative healthcare marketing example #8.
I like this Abilify ad for a simple reason. The cute grey blob. He symbolizes depression, which is not so cute, but somehow Abilify has made him kind of endearing. He's in every cartoon frame, following the not-as-depressed-as-she-was lady around, signifying to us that her depression is always there. In some way, shape or form. He starts out as a black hole she falls into, but once she gets out, he becomes smaller and shorter, as she gets her depression under control.
By the end of the spot, it's clear this lady is the boss as she picnics with her family and he flattens into a grey blob on the ground. I like the simplicity of the imagery that gets this rather distressing disease information across in a light, original way. It's also clever how the advertiser gets all the disclaimer blah blah out while showing the cute grey blob sitting on a chair taking notes on the disclaimer info with her, bobbing along on the family walk to the picnic site, etc.
I can't say I know a lot about the drug effectiveness (altho people have posted some pretty nasty YouTube comments), but I can say this is an effective spot. Take a look and let me know if you agree.
Innovative healthcare marketing example #7.
Academic Medical Center advertising can be boring. All trying to push the research and education angles, with lots of high tech blah blah and no break-through messaging. Not so at the Medical University of South Carolina. Their "Changing What's Possible" TV campaign is a refreshing gripper. Patient stories unfold in a unique way with beautiful, touching footage. Each spot is narrated by a different doctor but the great thing is you don't know it's a doctor until the very end, when the doc says "I came to MUSC to change what's possible in cancer care" or whatever the clinical area is. The patient story is the star and we are convinced and humbled by the fact that this doctor came to this hospital to offer patients treatments that don't exist anywhere else.
The epilepsy spot is my favorite. Maybe because I have a nephew with this disorder which is preventing him from taking drivers ed like all the other kids in his class. The spot focuses on Independence Day, juxtapositioning a hometown parade with an older male patient opening his door to celebrate independence from the fear of epilepsy. All due to the revolutionary surgical procedure developed at MUSC which has helped thousands of epilepsy patients.
Take a look at this Healthcare Advertising Award winning spot and let me know if it makes the emotional connection for you like it did for me.
Innovative healthcare marketing example # 6.
When I say, “General Electric”, you probably don’t think “healthcare”. I didn’t either, until I saw this spot and did a little research on line. GE actually has a whole business category called “Curing.” Including things like mammography screening and this 4d Ultrasound system which gives you crystal clear sneak previews of your impending newborn. If you’ve ever had a baby or thought about having a baby, it will give you goose bumps – and lots of warm-fuzzy confidence in GE. The “First time ever I saw your face” music, the pure expressions of innocent, idyllic baby love on the couples' young faces, the amazing technology and the understated, brilliant editing is a can't miss for the desired emotional connection. And masterfully positions GE as a healthcare innovator.
Let us know if GE emotionally connected with you through this healthcare spot.
The HPV vaccine: A memorable healthcare marketing success.
This year, my daughter turned eleven. For me, that means adding a new line item to our household budget. I’m calling it Teenage Fashion Trends that Will Last Approximately Six Minutes.
And on a more serious note, I’ve also put in a call to our pediatrician to ask about Gardasil, the Merck-manufactured Human Papillomavirus vaccine.
Given that HPV is sexually-transmitted, it’s something I wouldn’t have considered for years. There are two reasons I’m making it happen now.
- The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that girls get three doses of the vaccine at age 11 or 12.
- Gardasil’s powerful marketing message had me hooked years ago.
Do you remember Gardasil’s 2006 “One Less” ad campaign?
The commercial was populated by strong, cool, real-looking young girls skateboarding, playing drums, and jumping rope. They looked straight into the camera and declared, “Each year in the U.S. thousands of women learn they have cervical cancer. I could be one less.”
The spot was strikingly natural and refreshingly forthright. It handled the politically dicey issue of vaccinating young girls for an STD with dignity and power. These girls weren’t being manhandled by their parents, the government, or their future partners. They were taking a strong stance and protecting themselves.
Subsequent ads featured mothers choosing Gardasil for their daughters and confident twentysomething women choosing the vaccine for themselves. These spots were just as moving to me. They treated their female target audience as smart, discerning, responsible consumers.
Now there’s an opportunity for a new round of Gardasil commercials. The CDC has issued a recommendation that 11- and 12-year-old boys also be vaccinated against HPV.This is great news.
As Merck gets the new message out, I hope it doesn’t abandon the powerful, feminist tone of Gardasil’s earlier spots. After all, vaccinating boys against HPV protects both themselves and their future partners.
And even if the ads are about boys, we know that women—these boys’ mothers—are responsible for more than 80 percent of healthcare spending.
So this is my advice to Merck: When you bring men into the fold, remember those great old Gardasil commercials and don’t leave women out of the marketing.
