Everyone has seen the busload of tough show girls dripping in pink from Coca-Cola’s three-way desert chase Super Bowl ad.
There will undoubtedly be cute animals, a loud movie preview and flashy car commercials in the mix of 2013 Super Bowl commercials. What we need for a change is more healthcare ads. Why would these work? An analysis of how to get the best ROI from these fantastically expensive ads showed that the keys are dramatic music, animals, celebrities, humor and surprise endings. Also, don’t talk about your product too much. Finally, last year 20% of the spots were 60 seconds or longer and focused on telling a story. That is the perfect format for a healthcare story.
Here are three ideas for how three health companies could fit right in to the ad mix this year.
When Investment Rhymes with Canada
Canada has a proud history of achievement in the areas of science and technology, and the field of biomanufacturing and life sciences is no exception.
“Everyone can just do it, and win”
The company: Nike Accelerator
The scene: People of all sizes, shapes and fitness levels working out and using tracking gadgets.
The action: The ad moves through the day with several people doing different activities. Waking up with a Lark
brushing with the Beam Brush, swimming with the Shine, running with a pair of Smartiiii glasses,checking bloog sugar with the T slim insulin pump and checking your feet with a Podimetrics mat.
The punch line: Look how far we’ve coming in helping you get healthy. What’s next? Nike Accelerator.
The reason: Startups are doing amazing things with sensors and deserve some of the Super Bowl spotlight. Nike has the cash to fund an ad like this. Yes, it’s supporting potential competitors to the Fuel Band, but they also get a big reputation boost by appearing generous and supporting entrepreneurs. Also, Sunday is the deadline to apply to their accelerator and the class will be announced in two weeks. What better way to show how the big shoe company is supporting entrepreneurs?
“We’re not your father’s health insurance company.”
The company: Humana Vitality
The scene: Two young women are discussing a New Year’s resolution to lose weight. “You haven’t given up yet?” the skeptical one says.
The action: The fit one has picked up many new healthy habits that surprise her friend. The fit one clips on a podometer, uses MapMyFitness to find a route when on a business trip, cooks with brown rice, uses her accumulated points to buy free weights, and uses a phone app to schedule an appointment with her doctor to check her progress.
The punch line: “Where did you find all this stuff, the Internet, a personal trainer?” the skeptical friend says. “No, my health insurance company,” the fit one replies.
The reason: Insurers are all rebranding themselves as wellness companies. This is the perfect setting to highlight how they are doing this and to appeal to all the new customers health insurance exchanges will create. I have taken some artistic license and combined offerings from a couple insurers, but I’m sure all of these elements are easy and smart to include in a wellness program.
“Healthcare for your dog, and you.”
Pfizer just had a great week with the IPO of its animal healthcare unit.
The company: Pfizer and Zoetis.
The scene: A middle aged, slightly overweight woman and her dog.
The action: The ad illustrates the extravagant care the woman provides to her dog: gourmet dog food, visits to the vet, a special bed, a dog-sized treadmill, a life insurance policy, and a dog pill box. It also shows that she skips her own meds and doesn’t have her own treadmill.
The punch line: You take excellent care of your dog, shouldn’t you do the same for yourself? Pfizer can help with both.
The reason: In 2010, Americans spent $55 billion on their pets, and a little take care of yourself guilt never hurts either.
All these companies could get an instant traffic online by including a call to action in the ad. Century 21 looked how people consume the game and found that 36% have a second screen at the ready. Forty-two percent of that group will be using apps. And of course, voting on the best ad.
[Gadget image from Nike+ Accelerator, images of a woman with her dog and woman running from BigStock]
