PM360 Greatest Creators June 2011

Creative Concerns
The Seven Deadly Sins of Healthcare Marketers

Marketers are constantly guilty of sins that hurt creative, but there are also some virtues worth practicing that can save their campaigns as well as their marketing souls.

By Paul Harrington

We’ve all heard of the Seven Deadly Sins (SDS). They’re ancient, appearing back in Proverbs as “six things the Lord hateth, and the seventh His soul detesteth.”

As we all work in healthcare marketing to one degree or another, I began to wonder: can we apply the SDS to the marketing profession, and can they corrupt our ideas and the creative process? And are there Seven Virtues that can preserve our promotional souls? As a lark, I’ve dug up the age-old SDS and taken a hard look in the mirror – and it ain’t pretty folks.

Lust: When crafting campaigns, do we choose beauty over reality, lust over honesty? Illness usually isn’t pretty, yet all too often we see attractive people walking on the beach with their fluffy dog, all while suffering from devastating irritable bowel syndrome. Really? Makes me almost want to get it. Almost.

The opposite of lust is chastity: we need to deny our self-indulgence and be honest about the conditions we treat. If your target patient is a type 2 diabetic, show an obese person, not a hot supermodel supermom.

Gluttony: Too often we try to shove every product attribute into an idea. Got a blank page? Fill it up! 60 seconds of airtime? Keep muttering claims and fair balance! But will a consumer savor this excess, or will the bloat get stuck in his throat?

The opposite of gluttony is temperance: the ad agency, client brand managers and other marketing partners need to set modest, reasonable expectations from the get-go. An ad simply can’t do everything, and force-feeding every product attribute into the creative is just plain gross.

Greed: Greed has a fragile relationship with creativity. Sure ad agencies want to create great work, but they also have to eat. And brand managers need to keep the lights on and turn a profit. It’s a fine line we dance, between genuinely trying to help people and appeasing Wall Street.

The opposite of greed is charity: sometimes we should do things that don’t earn a dime. Sponsor a charitable road race in your company’s therapeutic area. Ad agencies should do pro bono work—not to earn a trophy but to change the world.

Sloth: Ah laziness, our old friend: the easiest and safest path is the one most taken, and it leads to horrid marketing and creative. From delegating difficult marketing decisions to focus groups to the curse of cheap stock art to the 45-word headline that just restates the brief, we’ve all gotten fat and lazy. Pass the M&Ms.

The opposite of sloth is diligence: we must maintain high creative standards and resist the urge to take the easy way out. Be bold, be decisive: don’t let a room full of strangers behind a focus group mirror choose the safest, most vanilla approach for your creative campaign–leverage their insights and then make it smart, creative and outstanding.

Wrath: Seething, boiling anger and resentment: they’re easy to experience in this nutsy business. When management kills a good idea, when marketing is compromised by bud- get, when a colleague lets us down, we get steamed. Giving in to that wrath can feel quite delicious.

The opposite of wrath is patience: don’t let a grudge poison your marketing and creativity. Setbacks are part of our business, so learn to deal with them. Take a moment, suss it out, and release the frustration: stay the path and stick to it, and you will do better work.

Envy: Humans are naturally competitive, but marketers are downright bloodthirsty. We dread that someone’s more talented, more creative and more intelligent than we are, and we’ll be darned if we can’t prove that we’re better.

The opposite of envy is kindness: look, you can’t be the best every single day of the year. Sometimes, the competition wins. Don’t begrudge them their time in the sun. Learn from their success to fuel your own. Gird up for round two, and kill ’em with kindness, baby.

Pride: Behind our backs, we’re known by many other names: prima donna, stuffed shirt, pompous @ss, Jerkface McJerkerson... labels we’ve earned with our inflated pride and egos. We’re marketers, for crying out loud: of course we’re better than every- one else. We went to business school/ art school/medical school just to be the smartest person in the room!

The opposite of pride is humility: we could all use a slice of humble pie. Don’t introduce yourself with your title; just say you work on the team. Take a back seat once in a while. Entertain someone else’s opinion. Make it less about “me” and more about “we” and the work will improve.

OK, the sermon endeth. Just remember: if you put the work first and maintain your integrity and honesty, the Seven Deadly Sins won’t ruin your marketing creativity. I’m off to church now to pray for your healthcare souls... and my own.

Paul Harrington is SVP, Creative Director at Palio. He has worked on the creative side of advertising for more than 20 years at both consumer and healthcare agencies. He enjoys wine, cheese, and his family, but not necessarily in that order. Contact him at pharrington@palio.com.