Hospital Marketing

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.

Walt Disney and happy kids. They just go together. That's why the new Walt Disney Pavilion at Florida Hospital for Children - the whole hospital concept - is a top pick for innovative healthcare marketing. After all, Disney "Imagineers" designed it.  Brilliant integration of themed environments with Simba, Little Mermaid, Jungle Book - all characters kids know and love as protectors and friends. The interactive lobby with playground and games makes you feel you took a wrong turn and are at Disney World, certainly not a hospital. Kids get to pick their own illuminated wall visual in their rooms, whether it's in the jungle or flying through outer space.  They can even request movies or a visit from Murray, the resident hospital dog, through the "Get Well Network", available in all patient rooms. The idea is a supporting cast of characters and services throughout the entire hospital designed to let kids be kids.

As a healthcare marketer, you might wonder if the Disney brand is too light, too fun for a hospital. I mean this is life and death business, right? I think as long as the hospital integrates serious language about their pediatric specialties n their messaging (i.e."more than 90 pediatric specialists trained in surgery, oncology, cardiology and transplant services...") , they can't lose with the strength of the Disney brand. It's Disney's first time to create a totally immersive hospital environment - and to lend its name to a hospital. And it's all the magical support you'd want for your child if he or she had to be in the hospital.

What are your thoughts on the Disney plus children's hospital equation?

When I say St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital, what do you think of?... Marlo Thomas, right? Or maybe Jennifer Aniston or Robin Williams if you’re too young to appreciate founder, Danny Thomas. At any rate, you probably get a warm feeling, as they’ve done a great job of positioning this national pediatric research center and hospital via celebrity spokespeople paired with pediatric cancer patients. Nothing fancy, just consistent messaging that pulls at the heartstrings and delivers their undisputable leadership claim. And always with a fundraising call to action.  Because this is the critical marketing goal for St. Jude's as “85 cents of every dollar goes to research and treatment” and “no child is ever turned away”. (You learn these impressive facts quickly if you look at any of their marketing communications.)

So what makes them an innovative healthcare marketing story? The way they’ve extended their brand and fundraising efforts into the social media world. With 425,000 fans, their Facebook page has customized tabs including my favorite, “Patient of the Month”, with photo and short summary, linking back to the website for a more detailed profile of the child, including an endearing patient story video. Their incredibly active wall has branded posts from the hospital, including fundraising activities, donor appreciation messages, even some from Marlo herself. Many more posts come from the loyal St. Jude’s patient family and fan base.

The YouTube page is nicely branded and chock-full of touching testimonials, both internally and externally produced. Their Twitter page is branded, and while they don’t come close to leader Mayo Clinic’s 190,000 followers, they do have 29,000. Again, the message is clear: donate to save children’s lives. Opportunities to donate, such as the “Become a Partner in Hope” button, abound throughout all social and digital media. As do opportunities to share patient stories. Interactivity is further encouraged via text or email alerts about St. Jude’s.

Social media is the perfect health care marketing avenue for an organization such as St. Jude’s as moms, key social networkers, love to connect and share experiences, especially about their children. Kudos to St. Jude’s for maximizing this medium to help us connect with and love them even more.  

Share with us your favorite innovative healthcare marketing example.

Let’s face it, men think they are invincible. Is that why most seem to avoid the doctor? Doctor avoidance could be connected to the male obsession with invincibility. I wasn’t too surprised to find that in a recent study, Middle-Aged “Macho Men” Less Likely to Obtain Preventative Care, men who scored high on the “macho” scale were almost 50 percent less likely to see a doctor.

The average life expectancy of the American male has increased since 1990, but it’s still six years lower than females. According to recent data from the CDC, 70 percent of U.S. women had at least one doctor’s visit annually, but only half the U.S. male population did the same. If you ask me, this calls for an intervention. Men should sign up for regular doctor visits, just like they sign up for Fantasy Football.

So how do we reach these guys? How do we break through their daily fog of business, finance, sports and beer? Well, typically it’s through their wives, their girlfriends – the women in their lives. Why is this? Because women are caregivers and they are the healthcare decision-makers in the family. See how we targeted men through women in the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services radio spot, Mr. Fix It. But is there another way to reach the male audience on important health matters? Could there be an innovative marketing ploy that would grab their attention, and say, “hey man, maybe you should call your doctor today.”