Advertising Cancer Services

Advertising cancer services is tricky work. Many people don’t want to think about getting cancer. Because most of us have been directly or indirectly affected by cancer, we react by even hearing the word. And from a “purchase” perspective, most cancer services are initiated by a referring physician. (The wonderful exception being Cancer Centers of America.)

But for many hospitals, it is vital to proactively promote their cancer services. The first benefit is to save lives via screenings and consumer awareness and education campaigns. The second is to share advances in cancer-fighting technology and treatments. As healthcare marketers, we never know when someone will be in need of cancer services. Staying top of mind is primal to market position.

The third benefit is slightly altruistic, but meaningful nonetheless. Healthcare providers offer hope to cancer patients and their families. The more positive, informative, pro-active and hopeful our communications are, the more we can help empower our communities.

To that end, I found today a great link by for the top 50 cancer survival blogs. What a wonderful resource for cancer patients and families. For those of us in the field, reading these entries and exchanges is an instant reminder in the power of raw, honest communication.

Following is a television spot our firm developed a few years ago for a hospital in Baltimore, MD. The hospital was an early pilot for a state of the art lung screening program. The screening can detect lung cancer at Stage One, which give patients amazing survival rates.

The hospital hoped to serve 50 patients with the screening. Within a week’s time, the hospital had over 1,200 requests. That’s a lot of calls. And for many of those screened, a lot of hope.