Patients don’t want you to test their patience.
When Mercy Health Physician Partners came to us to help increase patients for both primary care and specialists, we started where we always start – research.
Before we dive in, we like to take a step back. It helps us get the lay of the land so the decisions we make are strategically sound. Research showed that the healthcare landscape is rife with people wanting convenience and access. In fact, consumers increasingly value convenience attributes when choosing a primary care physician -- even over quality of care. Fortunately, Mercy Health Physician Partners had it all.
This is the doctor with a friendly appointment reminder: Make one.
Next, we had to make a decision. Try to lure patients who didn’t already have a primary care physician (PCP) or steal from the competition. We chose the first. We believed highlighting Mercy Health Physician Partners’ core assets would prove most successful.
So, we set our sights on what we like to call “avoiders”: you know, people who try really hard not to go to the doctor. At all. Or those who use an urgent care clinic instead. Did you know that, on average, 25% of healthcare consumers put off treatment longer than they should?
What’s driving their decisions to put off going to the doctor? Ironically, it’s what avoiders consider logical thinking. For example, “If I just wait out this cold, I’ll get better eventually.” Or “I don’t need a physical. I feel fine.” As you can see, this “logical” thinking is actually illogical. That irony was our creative inspiration.
It’s also important to note that we chose to target PCP avoiders because, on average, over two-thirds of specialist cases are referral generated. And once patients are referred to a certain specialist by their PCP, less than 2% of those patients will go to a different specialist. Essentially, what their PCP says, goes. So, by focusing on new PCP patients, we knew we could organically grow the number of patients who require specialists.
Honesty is the best policy.
Next, how would we engage, educate and convert these avoiders? With a little self-deprecating, “call it like it is,” humor. We took the excuses they use to avoid a visit to the doctor and presented them in an honest, but tongue-in-cheek manner. As you’ll see, the entire campaign plays off the term “ill•logic.” Take a look.
Our media buy consisted of regional print, outdoor, terrestrial and streaming audio, as well as television. The ill•logic campaign recently launched, and we’re excited to see the results.
To learn more this and our other healthcare campaigns, or to see how we can guide your organization’s strategic thinking and advertising, contact:
Sharon Stemen
sstemen@hartinc.com
Manager, New Business Development
419.893.9600 Ext. 161
