Let me start by saying whoever is doing the marketing for Knoxville Hospitals and Clinics is doing a lot of things right. They have a Facebook fan page with 60 fans as of this writing. They have a Twitter account with 234 followers that is updated regularly. They have a website that is much better than some other regional hospital websites (and even some in larger markets). They are also pushing their ads out on YouTube – not enough companies are doing this!
Which brings us to the problem. If you’re going to do tv advertising, you’ve got to spend the money to produce something good. Knoxville Hospital and Clinics’ tv spots are not. I don’t know this for sure, but my guess is they are station produced. That means a tv station essentially comes in and offers to produce tv spots for free, or for a very discounted rate – in return for a minimum advertising schedule with that station. The station stands to make very little on the creative, so they put a spot together as quickly as they can. Basically the formula is: logo jingle at beginning, testimonial/spokesperson in middle with b-roll footage, logo jingle at end. Done, you’ve got your spot! In this case, I’d just say there’s an art to creating a song/jingle that matches the brand identity of the advertiser. In these spots, there wasn’t a lot of time spent on that art.
There is too much advertising clutter out there these days screaming for people’s attention to not invest in the message side of your advertising. In fact, while some of the media will say frequency is more important than message, we believe the exact opposite. If you’re going to invest in any kind of advertising, make sure the message you’re putting out is top-notch – then figure out the most efficient way to deliver it. If you’re from Knoxville Hospital and Clinics and would like some help, we’d love the opportunity to talk!
Author: Tom Flynn III
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