In the carefree days of our youth, most of us spent Saturday mornings planted in front of the TV, watching cartoons. As we sat in rapt attention, a parade of commercials marched through the spaces between these animated adventures; ads that ensured we would spend hours pestering our parents for the latest gem from Mattel or Hasbro.
Why did these ads have such a profound influence on us? One simple principle: Show, don’t tell. Watching other kids run around the living room with an X-wing fighter, or pushing a Barbie Corvette around the back yard, was a thousand times more compelling than descriptions of what these toys could do.
This precept applies to any good marketing effort, especially in the healthcare sphere. Why describe how your drug or device can help patients, when you can demonstrate that?
Patient journey videos show healthcare providers and other patients the direct benefits of your product in a way that speaks to their heart. Chronicling the day-to-day impact of your drug or device on people’s lives builds empathy, trust, and interest.
An effective patient journey video requires care, craftsmanship, and above all, focus. Remember to always keep the patient at the forefront. Patients’ lives run deeper than their interactions with doctors. Defining a patient as a person rather than in terms of their disease fosters an emotional connection with your audience that will pay off in the endgame. In the example below, see how we use vignettes from Jill’s life to create a window into her life experience beyond her illness.
Looking at Jill’s life through the lens of her pastimes, passions, and relationships establishes her as a fully realized, three-dimensional human being. Instead of an impersonal collection of symptoms, she is someone we can care about and listen to; someone we can trust.
Focusing on her life outside of her disease adds one other vital element to the mix: hope. Seeing someone similarly afflicted leading a full, rich life reminds patients who may be watching of the potential to make their own lives better. That little dash of optimism makes them more receptive and interested in what we might have to offer.
Join us again next month, as we take a look at how nuance and artistry can help you make the most of your patient journey video.