A surprising event for a hospital
Imagine it’s a chilly Sunday afternoon in April. What are you apt to do? Take a nap? Watch a basketball game. Have the inlaws over for dinner?
Attending the opening ceremonies for a hospital expansion probably wouldn’t make the top ten. Maybe not even the top 100. And yet nearly ten thousand people did just that. And one of the surprising things that attracted them was the choreographed aerial act that took place from the side of the new ten story building.
Some would call it a stunt. A gimmick. Or, a nicer way to put it: borrowed interest. But they would be wrong. The surprising ads that led to this surprising afternoon were pieces of a much larger and more complex strategy to evolve the organization’s brand position. A strategy that specifically included surprise – spelled out in the brand platform and approved by the CEO, CFO and the head of every business unit.
The results went well beyond the numbers that attended and the press coverage received. There’s little ROI to be had there. But as part of an ongoing plan to gain recognition for their surprising accomplishments, results included measurable improvement in brand preference and brand loyalty, two measures directly tied to volume and market share.
Any organization could have staged a similar event. It might have even had similar attendance and media coverage. But for this hospital, it was unusual. Unexpected. Surprising. And therein lies the strategic value.
Surprise as strategy is not common. In fact, by definition, the organization that relies on surprise too often will no longer be surprising. But under the right circumstances, surprise can be a winning strategy.
Another take on the surprise strategy is part of the arsenal used so effectively by Gary Mueller, founder of Serve – a Milwaukee-based, non-profit ad agency devoted to under-served causes. I used to work with Gary at BVK where he is also the executive creative director. At Serve, Gary also uses surprise as a creative strategy, but he calls it Provocative Marketing. But whatever name you choose, you can call it effective.
In a few weeks, Gary will explain Provocative Marketing to the Milwaukee Chapter of the AMA. His work, which includes pregnant boys and screaming babies, will prove the impact that strategic surprise can have on everything from teen pregnancy to shaken baby deaths. You can learn more here.
So, as you think ahead to your next campaign, whether it’s a new product launch, service line support or organizational repositioning effort, go beyond the expected strategy. You might just be surprised with the results.
Have you built surprise into your strategy? If so, please share YOUR experience.
Today’s parting thought:
“Never let the fear of striking out get in your way.” – Babe Ruth
