Joe Public doesn’t care about your hospital
The Truths We Hold Self-Evident: First in a Series
As immutable as the laws that rule nature (the sky is blue, the earth is round), are a set of guiding principles we at Interval refer to as the “Truths We Hold Self-Evident.” These “truths” influence pretty much everything we do. Our thinking. Our approaches to marketing and client challenges. Our recommendations for and execution of marketing strategies and tactics for our clients.
This belief system springs directly from our experience marketing and branding hospital and healthcare systems exclusively over the past five years. We accept and believe these truths passionately, as do our clients. But every once in a while we encounter those that, for whatever reason, do not. Some are marketers stuck in the traditional approaches of the past. Others, skeptics looking for proof.
Throughout the coming year, we will present a series of articles articulating these Truths, their implications, and why we consider them self-evident. That said, there is plenty of room for debate and controversy. Consider this a standing invitation to join what we hope is a lively and illuminating conversation. At the very least, theses articles will clarify our biases while helping you better understand the issues and broaden your perspective on them.
Truth #1: Joe Public does not care about your hospital, health system or clinic
Ouch. We know that one hurts. True, there are many who care very much about your organization; your staff and physicians, your board of directors, and the patients you treat, along with select other groups. The rest of the folks in your community and the consumers in your market? Not so much.
The good news is acknowledgment of this Truth can have a huge impact on your marketing and communications strategies.
Why Joe doesn’t care
It’s natural for an organization to want to promote what makes it great – its award-winning care, its new surgical technology, the new cardiologist on the team. The problem is, most consumers only pay attention to what is relevant to them — “what’s in it for me.” Certainly, relevant messages aimed at targeted audiences can be very effective. (For example, orthopedic efforts that target those with demographic attributes that make them likely candidates for a joint pain seminar.) But for those without a current medical issue or chronic-disease — Joe Public — healthcare isn’t relevant. Even worse, not only is healthcare typically not relevant on any given day, Joe Public doesn’t even want to think about medical care. Let’s face it, unless you’re having a baby, there is usually nothing positive about having to see a doctor or go to a hospital.
Our friend and colleague, 20-year healthcare marketing vet Chris Causey, compares hospitals to appliance manufacturers like Maytag or Whirlpool. He considers both part of “low-interest” categories. That is, categories no one wants to think about — until they absolutely have to. Imagine Whirlpool sent you a quarterly newsletter promoting its latest factory expansion, the new SDG 3000 Cool Spring Refrigerator Line and the hiring of Teddy Yip as vice president. Would you read it? Yet many hospitals and health systems still send out newsletters filled with content that is promotional in nature, boasting the latest technology, announcing new doctor hires, and giving dry updates on hospital expansions.
So often, when a client is faced with flat market share or declining volumes, we hear the following pleas (typically from non-marketers):
- “We’re the best story no one’s ever heard.”
- “We’re a hidden gem.”
- “If only people know we had Dr. ABC/offered service XYZ,
the patients would come.”
It’s as if simply communicating the strengths and differentiators of the organization in the market will solve the business challenges. These assertions assume that just telling your story will change market behavior. But if no one wants to hear your stories, you can’t expect people to listen, let alone change perception or behavior.
Engaging Joe Public
If you accept this Truth, how does that impact your marketing strategies?
At the very least, it should force you to put brand advertising campaigns in the proper perspective. It doesn’t mean you should stop all advertising, or trying to build brand through communication campaigns. But if your goal is to build awareness or perception with a general brand advertising campaign, knowing that people don’t really want to hear from you should change your expected results. For example, a general branding campaign cannot be expected to improve short-term visits or significantly boost volumes. Branding campaigns can help build your organization’s reputation over time. However, a disinterested audience means the process takes longer and requires more effort.
Acknowledging and accepting this truth also should spur you to reconsider how you approach brand advertising. If no one wants to hear your story, you must find something compelling and relevant to capture Joe Public’s interest. That could be a unique creative approach, or use of different media channels. (For an example of one approach based on this Truth that uses a proven promotional model from another industry, see the case study below.) Another strategy is to transcend the reactive view of your organization as one that “heals” to a broader, more compelling and relevant view of an organization that improves health. The difference is subtle but powerful. Joe Public is much more amenable to hearing about health and wellness, which he perceives as positive, than he is to hearing about hospitals and healthcare systems (negative). Accentuating services and offerings that are health-oriented rather than healing-oriented will immediately increase the relevance of your message and widen your audience. Engage Joe Public and make him care about your organization when he is healthy and you’re much more likely to land him as a patient at your facility when he does need healing.
In the end, there’s nothing wrong with believing Joe Public doesn’t want to hear from you. By assuming this perspective, you’ll be more honest with yourself about what’s possible, and more effective when you do decide to approach your market at large.
Case Study: Release of Courage Girl and the Warrior
St. Joseph’s Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota, wanted to increase awareness of its organization as a build-up to the opening of its newly renovated facility in the fall of 2008. To achieve this, Interval developed a campaign with an innovative spin on the traditional patient testimonial, featuring three actual St. Joseph’s patients as heroes in their own movies. In the initial teaser phase of the campaign, advertising contained no hospital branding. Those interested in finding out more about the “movies” were driven to micro websites, where they discovered the campaign was promoting actual documentaries of real-life patients. By mirroring a proven model for generating interest and creating buzz — the movie release — the campaign drove 16,000 unique visitors to the microsites over the four-month-long campaign, and attracted 5,000 attendees to a series of open houses for the new multi-million dollar facility, capped by an “Oscar night” themed Grand Opening, complete with red carpet and paparazzi.
- Published: November 24, 2008
- Filed under: Marketing, Patient Experience