Reassurance during a pandemic
Case study: Mediclinic’s #HereForYou
In late 2020, Mediclinic’s #HereForYou campaign communicated that Mediclinic hospitals were open for business as usual, and that they were safe spaces for childbirth, elective surgeries, specialist visits and visits to emergency centres.
As a strategic partner of Mediclinic, New Media plays an integral role in creating clinically vetted content to strengthen the hospital group’s position of “expertise you can trust”.
When COVID-19 hit, we aligned with our client’s new circumstances, switching in a moment from COVID-19 education to urging consumers not to put off potentially life-saving treatment between peaks.
The opportunity
Many sectors have been under tremendous pressure over the past two years, but arguably none more so than the healthcare industry. Mediclinic moved from a full list of elective surgeries to elective surgeries being prohibited while the COVID-19 peaks filled their wards. Their employees experienced enormous challenges during these peaks, supporting severely ill patients under emotionally demanding conditions.
Mediclinic approached New Media for assistance, to reassure the public that their hospitals were safe spaces, in order to avoid worsening chronic or acute conditions and to encourage elective surgeries.
The solution
A reassurance campaign was created, between September and November 2020, to communicate that Mediclinic hospitals were open for business as usual, and that they were safe spaces for childbirth, elective surgeries, specialist visits and visits to emergency centres. This was Mediclinic’s #HereForYou campaign.
Through a series of editorialised educational videos (one overarching corporate message and individual hospital videos based on this template) and supplementary content, the message was sent loud and clear: Mediclinic hospitals have taken every precaution to make your visit or stay safe and comfortable – don’t delay!
These reassurance bursts included elements illustrating the safety measures put in place at hospital level, new product offerings, the availability of elective surgeries following a wave, initiatives taken by specific hospitals to educate in their communities, emergency centre information, and notices regarding visiting hours.
The campaign was initiated and implemented at a group level, but individual hospitals were encouraged to put out the message on their own platforms to address their local constituencies
The results
Mediclinic’s #HereForYou campaign was singled out by Mediclinic’s chief marketing officer as one of the greatest successes over the past 12 months. It recorded 12 583 335 impressions, 1 458 431 video views, 52 679 engagements and 10 593 400 website visits.
While it’s difficult to accurately measure the impact on elective surgeries, Mediclinic’s national emergency centres manager reported seeing an increase in the number of patients coming into emergency centres after quiet periods for Mediclinic hospitals throughout the pandemic.
Emotional connections matter
Mediclinic’s payoff line is “Expertise you can trust”. This aligns perfectly with content marketing, which seeks to build relationships and trust by adding value through information and entertainment over a period of time.
By delivering valuable content to its target audience, Mediclinic remains top of mind when people make healthcare decisions. And by creating content that inspires and informs, Mediclinic is seen as both a healthcare partner and a clinically authoritative voice.
The #HereForYou reassurance campaign has evolved from the immediate need for facts, to helping bring positivity, to focusing on those neglecting their health, and then back through the trenches of each wave. The content has been strong and has crossed a number of media. We appreciated New Media’s readiness to take briefs at short notice and convert them into actionable content. They were approachable and they were resilient, which has been appreciated by our team, who relied on New Media capacity when our own was stretched.”
Dr Biren Valodia, Chief Marketing Officer: Mediclinic