What were they thinking?

Here’s an advertisement directed at GPs and Specialists which ran frequently a couple of months ago in, as I recall, the Melbourne Age and the Financial Review. I wonder how well it worked and whether newspaper advertising was the way to go for this hospital.

For a start, the picture they used was as old fashioned as all get out, even though the supposed doctor was holding some form of digital device. He was obviously the archetypical American doctor from a few years back which I reckon is a bit of a turnoff anyhow.

The headline was not designed to attract attention, but more of a “so what” nothing headline. If they were attempting to get to GPs, for example, maybe they could have had “Medical Practitioners” in the headline somewhere. Maybe the advertisers were hoping the somewhat comical picture would get the attention of the right audience.

The real problem is the question of whether GP’s or specialists would have seen the advert at all. Are those general newspapers their first choice of reading material or would other publications get their attention first?

The body copy extolled the virtues of Freemasons Hospital from the hospital’s point of view and didn’t give any real reason as to the advantages of sending their patients there.

In any event, all of this is by the by.  My real question is why they would spend a hell of a lot of money on general press, hoping to get to GPs.

Maybe they didn’t want to try direct mail because GPs are already bombarded by junk mail. The answer, of course, is to be really creative without being expensive, and find a direct mail solution which will compel the recipient to open the envelope and read it. And with a bit of creative thought, that’s always possible.

The other alternative would be to email the GPs and specialists because I’m sure email lists of them are available and, again, using the right creative approach, they could have well got through.

Of course they might have been trying to influence the general public to choose Freemasons but I wonder whether that would work either. I reckon in most cases we leave it to our GP or the specialist to nominate the hospital for our care.