When you think of healthcare, the last thing that usually comes to mind is “fun.” It’s a serious matter, and the countless healthcare ads you see on TV and other media reflect that notion. When you’re talking about advance directives or joint replacement surgery, for example, it’s tough coming up with creative that 1) isn’t technical or 2) isn’t vanilla.
Although healthcare may not sound fun, that doesn’t mean you can’t have fun. With these three tips, you’ll be on your way to injecting your campaigns with humor – a concept that can help keep your organization top of mind when it comes to quality care.
Use Common Sense
Let’s be clear: Certain topics should never be joked about, including healthcare situations involving death and violence. However, it is possible to talk about something as serious as a heart attack in your creative and use humor.
For instance, take our Truth in Medicine campaign with South Nassau Communities Hospital. This campaign, presented in a Q&A format, adds humorous photos to represent common health questions such as, “Does a heart attack feel like an elephant is sitting on your chest?” It’s a serious topic, but we managed to add some levity while still being mindful of the gravity of the situation.
In the creative, the elephant is sitting on an actual treasure chest. Although the graphic is fun, the answer is serious and encourages patients to seek emergency care if they’re ever in that predicament.
Tailor Your Message
Not everyone will understand your joke (or understand that you’re joking). For jokes – particularly those that are healthcare related – it’s imperative you define the target audience. If your humor for a particular campaign will only resonate with physicians, for instance, make sure you’re pushing your message on their favorite media channels. Otherwise, your campaign will fall flat – wasting your time and money.
Don’t Lose Track of Your Message
Once you’ve found opportunities to inject humor in your campaigns and see results, you’ll be tempted to make everything funny. While humor is an effective attention grabber, it shouldn’t be the only tool you rely on. In fact, using too much humor can detract from your message.
Sure, your message is memorable but is it driving traffic to your organization’s services or products? It’s best to use humor in small doses – don’t let it become your shtick or you risk looking unprofessional.
Let our experts inject the right amount of humor into your marketing efforts. Call 305-350-5700 or visit waxcom.com for more details.