Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait and Neither Can This Marketing Campaign
howardk
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Thursday, July 09, 2009
Every once in while, a marketer gets the rare opportunity to work on a campaign that can mobilize an entire profession while bringing positive change to the lives of the people it serves. I am in the midst of this type of rare, perhaps once-in-a-lifetime, opportunity as I write this blog.
About a month ago, Gary Price, the CEO of the Dental Trade Alliance, sent a memo to all DTA members expressing the need for a widespread awareness campaign to offset the growing and risky consumer trend of putting off dental treatment due to economic concerns.
I responded by offering Gary the full and unrestricted use of Lanmark Group resources to help him bring his vision to reality. The dental industry has been very good to my agency for more than 25 years, and all of us felt it was the least we could do to give something back.
The result of an intense 30 days of close strategic and creative collaboration between Lanmark Group, Gary, and other members of the DTA is the Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait™ campaign, which we believe is destined to become the “Got Milk?” of the dental industry.
Although the current economic climate is causing many people to delay treatment plans and put off dental visits, the Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait Campaign warns consumers about the potential long-term health risks associated with postponing oral care, such as:
• Tooth decay is a progressive disease. Postponing treatment can lead to more complex, more expensive treatment, such as a root canal or extraction.
• Tooth decay is a communicable disease. Your untreated cavities can be spread to your loved ones.
• Recent studies have linked undiagnosed and untreated periodontal disease with a negative impact on patients with heart disease, diabetes, and other systemic health conditions.
• Chronic bad breath is usually due to conditions that may be easily prevented by regular oral hygiene appointments and consultation.
The campaign also outlines payment options many consumers may not be aware of. For example:
• Dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants are primarily focused on prevention when their patients allow them to do so. However, many wait until emergency conditions such as pain prevail. By this time, the course of treatment is more invasive and costly.
• Many patients are not taking full advantage of the scope of services covered by their dental insurance. Your dentist’s office manager can be very helpful in this area.
• Most dentists are very flexible when it comes to paying out-of-pocket expenses. Ask about using a credit card or working out a payment plan.
• Talk to your dentist about prioritizing your treatment plan. Ask what needs to be done immediately and what can wait until you have more discretionary income.
The Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait Campaign was designed to be a turnkey, multifaceted marketing campaign that every dental professional can use free of charge. That’s right, it’s free! All you have to do is visit www.oralhealthcarecantwait.com and download a full arsenal of ready-to-use, consumer-quality marketing materials, such as:
• Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait™ logo and slogan
• Print ads for local newspapers and magazines
• E-mail template
• Press release template for local media
• Radio public service announcements
• Patient education brochures and posters
• A consumer information website: www.visityourdentistnow.com
• Letter to the editor for local newspapers and magazines
• Patient recall card
• Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait™ letterhead
• Statement stuffer
• An article for your patient newsletter or website
I would venture a guess that this may be the first time that many dental practices have had this many marketing options to utilize…Did I mention that they’re free? You owe it to your patients, your practice, and your industry to use these marketing resources in your hometown.
Still in the works are a professional-quality video that can serve as a local cable TV spot, a full-page USA Today ad, and a full-scale national public relations campaign. And, lest you think we forgot about social media, you can find Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait on
Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/OralHealthcare), Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=113772271494&ref=nf), and YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/oralhealthcare). I urge you to participate.
Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait is truly an industry-wide initiative and has already received the support of the leading dental and hygiene print publications and web portals, as well as the major dental distributors. We’ve also received generous commitments from other DTA members to help fund the direct-to-consumer advertising in national newspapers, television, and radio.
Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait can be the most important, influential, and successful grassroots campaign ever launched in the dental industry. The time is right, but only you can make it happen in your local market. I hope you will visit www.oralhealthcarecantwait.com, start using the free marketing resources, and let me know how the campaign is being received in your local market.