Kaiser Permanente's latest "Thrive" campaign ads are just as visually stunning as the others in the series. One of the two new ads, released yesterday, focuses on technology and innovation in general, and electronic health records in particular.
The "Emerald City" spot, created by the Warren, MI-based Campbell-Ewald ad agency, depicts a fairy tale world that is part busy city and part quiet woodland forest. Old-growth trees are rooted in the middle of streets and between sky scrapers. All is calm and peaceful. Motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians, and deer (yes, deer) live together in harmony.
It's no secret that I'm a big fan of the Thrive campaign. I wrote about their "Kabuki" ad on the MarketShare blog a few months back, admitting that I couldn't stop watching it.
The Kabuki ad was about patient-centered care and a team approach to delivering healthcare. It's a concept that anybody could understand: Who doesn't want to be at the center of a team of caregivers who support and heal you?
EHRs a tough sell
I'm not sure, though, that the general public understands EHRs—much less makes healthcare decisions based on their availability. And I'm not sure that in this case, the message about their benefits to the patient is effective.
"By putting an end to paper medical records, we have ushered health into the digital age," the commercial's narrator says. "Saving lives, sometimes when seconds count. Managing chronic conditions. Making amazing new discoveries. And, oh yes, saving a lot of trees."
The ads reflect the Oakland, CA-based Kaiser's "commitment to the total health of its members and the communities it serves," according to a release. "As the nation seeks innovative solutions for reforming health care and reducing costs, Kaiser Permanente is leading the way in making technology a core tool for patients and providers with Kaiser Permanente HealthConnect®, the world's largest civilian electronic health record."
Put the patient at the center
The second new ad, "Connect," shows a man in front of a clear computer screen, interacting with his healthcare provider via e-mail, making an appointment online, checking test results, and monitoring his health through Kaiser's My Health Manager.
"We know technology can make you more connected," the narrator says. "But now it can make you more connected to your doctor though e-mail. Test results from home. Check records. Change appointments. Now doctors, nurses, techs, pharmacists are all digitally connected to each other, and ultimately connected to you. At Kaiser Permanente, we believe that if knowledge is power, shared knowledge is even more powerful."
It is much more effective in its messaging and eminently more relatable than the Emerald City ad (though just as cool to look at). Toward the end of the ad, the screen shows an interconnected web of healthcare professionals, with an avatar labeled "you" at the center. Like the Kabuki ad, it's all about the patient, something that the Emerald City ad doesn't quite get at.
Although healthcare organizations have created marketing around the latest clinical equipment (to varying degrees of success) marketing connectivity and electronic health records is fairly new. (Mayo Clinic is also doing some work in this area.)
To be effective I think that healthcare organizations are going to have to take a cue from the very benefit they're promoting—the fact that the patient is at the center of everything a healthcare organization does.
You can view both Kaiser Thrive ads in today's post on the MarketShare blog, "Do Kaiser's New Thrive Ads Get the EHR Message Across?" Head over there to watch them and let me know what you think.
Note: You can sign up to receive HealthLeaders Media Marketing, a free weekly e-newsletter that will guide you through the complex and constantly-changing field of healthcare marketing.