The Project
Radiologists are specialized medical doctors who interpret results from diagnostic imaging tests, recommend treatment plans, and use image-guided techniques to treat serious health conditions that threaten patients’ lives or quality of life. They serve as expert consultants for other doctors in general practice, surgery, emergency medicine and other areas of medical care, and most Alberta radiologists work in both community clinic and hospital settings.
But because in many cases the patient doesn’t actually see the radiologist, the way they see their GP or emergency room doctor, the general public may not fully understand the role they play. Our client, the Alberta Society of Radiologists (ASR), wanted to raise awareness among Albertans about what radiologists do and how their expertise and hard work translates to better health outcomes for patients. We were hired to develop a campaign that would bring radiologists’ work out from behind the scenes and into Albertans’ line of sight.
Goal
We needed to raise public awareness of the vital role radiologists play in our healthcare system.
Results Statement
Our advertising enticed 20,527 Albertans to click through and learn about who radiologists are, what they do and the value they provide.
Key Insights
When something might be seriously wrong with your health, but you don’t know what it is, that’s scary. And when something is seriously wrong with your health, but it’s not detected early, that can have a devastating impact on treatment and prognosis. What radiologists do, in large part, is free us from those fears. In our campaign, we chose to emphasize radiologists’ vigilance and skill in finding out whether there’s a problem, what that problem is and what the best treatment plan would be.
Given that radiologists are highly trained specialists who don’t interact directly with every patient they help, it was important to present them as human, caring and approachable in addition to confident and competent. These are doctors who work incredibly hard for their patients and take real pride in offering the best care possible, and we wanted to make sure our campaign didn’t sell them short by coming across as distant, condescending or stuffy.
Our toolkit
Campaign Website
We developed a website – GetTheWholePicture.ca – to provide information on the value of radiologists in the healthcare system, key facts about radiology in Alberta and how radiologists work with other kinds of doctors in multiple settings. We also included an option for users to subscribe to updates on developments related to radiology in Alberta. All of the ads described below directed the audience to this website.
Pre-roll Video
We created a 15-second video ad that ran as online pre-roll and on TV screens in medical clinic waiting rooms. Ads for this campaign were based on the core idea that it’s not easy to hide from a radiologist, given that radiologists are so highly trained to detect hard-to-find health problems through diagnostic imaging. The video ad featured a young son playing hide and seek with his mother, a radiologist, who finds him easily despite the incredible lengths he’s gone to – it was designed to humanize radiologists by showing a doctor in a relatable family setting, while making the point that radiologists save lives by uncovering hidden health issues.
Digital Display Ads
Building on our central idea – “it isn’t easy to hide from a radiologist” – we developed a series of playfully hyperbolic display ads to underscore radiologists’ skill in the early detection of health problems. The creative featured images related to the copy – which referenced Sherlock Holmes, Bigfoot and socks that disappear in the dryer – with a design treatment that made objects appear to be X-rayed.
Audio Streaming Ad
We created an audio ad that built on the copy from the display ads and presented our central idea in a new context – a sea captain regaling his crew with tales about radiologists and suggesting that they needed a radiologist to help them in their adventures. It maintained the engaging, playful tone established in the video and display ads while also providing information about the role radiologists play in our healthcare system.
Posters
We designed a series of posters based on our digital display ads to be displayed in radiology clinics across Alberta. These served to present our messaging in a relevant context to an audience that was already predisposed to be receptive, given that they were currently receiving treatment or diagnostic imaging services.
Media Buying and Planning
Media buying for the campaign was managed in-house at Berlin. This included planning and securing media across all channels we used as well as monitoring campaign performance and making adjustments to maximize effectiveness.
Results
8.1 million impressions
20,527 unique website visitors
22,260 sessions on website
0.28% click-through rate (more than twice industry average)
>1 million video views
Awards
- ACE Awards 2021 – ACE Award, Art Direction
- ACE Awards 2021 – ACE Award, Not-for-Profit Online Advertising Single
- ACE Awards 2021 – Distinction, Not-for-Profit Out of Home Video Single
Project Credits
- Project Credits
- Justin Archer Senior Counsel
- Willie Lee Account Director
- David Landreth Creative Director
- Neil Shapiro Copywriter
- Emily Keating Copywriter
- Hilary Zak Designer
- Wentana Dirrar Account Coordinator
- Alycia Archer Media Buyer
- James Murgatroyd Website Developer