It seems to me that medical devices companies don’t allow much room for fun into their marketing marketing materials; in fact, the most one generally sees in their collateral are “plastic” pictures of smiling faces obtained from image banks.

Is there be another way?

Here is a nice story that shows that the use of humor, if done well and to the right audience, could actually work.

The problem: Doctors do not read guidelines

A hospital in Leister, in the United Kingdom, prepared guidelines for junior doctors and nurses on how to treat respiratory problems and asthma. Sadly, these instructions were lengthy and boring, and getting the busy staff to read them was extremely difficult.

The solution: Sing the guidelines

Dr. Tapas Mukherjee, a respiratory specialist, thought of a solution: He recorded a music video explaining the guidelines. His video, which featured him singing, was posted to different social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

The video has been viewed by tens of thousands of people so far.

The Result: guideline use more than doubled

The video turned out to be extremely educational and effective. The outcomes were revealed in research that was submitted to the annual meeting of the European Respiratory Society congress in Barcelona.

Within two months, the number of healthcare staff following the treatment guidelines more than doubled – from 45 percent to 100 percent.

Dr. Mukherjee said: “Our study has shown that social media can help change clinical practice. As doctors are often working in busy environments we have to think of creative ways of reaching out to them with important clinical information”.

A few thoughts: Do it, but in good taste and where appropriate

Medical device marketing should not be a joke. However, some humor might help your medical device get noticed. A few points to follow:

• Correctly identify your target audience. You know what kinds of messages – and what kind of humor – would work with them. However, you might be able to stretch the invisible boundaries a little bit. Remember that underneath the white coat of the most serious physician there is a human being. If your product targets patients, things could be even easier. A good video may replace a patient education brochure and might go viral.
• Decide on the best person to deliver your message. Sometimes it is not your company or its representative who should talk about your product, but rather someone else. I saw a medical device video a while back. It talks about a company that is developing a solution for treating migraines. It received more than 100,000 hits because it is absolutely hilarious.

• Don’t forget the call to action. Yes, a call to action at the end of the piece of marketing is important. You can ask people watching the video to leave their contact details or to go to your website for more details. Every lead has the potential for income in the future, so don’t miss out on the opportunity.