By Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer
Of the thousands of hospital or healthcare videos, few will ever “go viral.” But nearly all online videos that hit the big time circuit—being shared and shared again—will be fueled by emotion.
It’s emotions that make marketing campaigns get noticed, attract viewers and go viral, according to research reported by the Harvard Business Review (HBR). Viral videos, HBR reports, “generate high levels of social engagement, sharing, and brand interaction, which can lead to sharp increases in digital brand advocacy.”
You likely know this from your own experience that if you watch something (let’s say a hospital video), you react with feelings, and are inclined—perhaps compelled—to share the video (and the experience) with others. Watch…feel…share. That’s the essential countdown to a viral launch.
The HBR post is an excellent presentation of how and why this happens, including big brand-name case examples, and these three steps to creating content that people will share:
- Write a compelling title
- Use strong emotional drivers to make people care and share
- Create content the strikes the correct emotional chords
Although it sounds simple enough, it’s still a challenge to accomplish. To illustrate the concept, however, here are three videos that have the right chemistry. We can’t confirm that they all “went viral,” but we bet one or more will have you reaching for the “share” button (and maybe a tissue.)
“Brave” at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital
The back story here is that this video was the handiwork of two nurses—working on their off time—who wanted to create a fun video featuring their patients and staff members of Unit 5. (Inspired by Sara Bareilles’ music video, this one went viral.) [3:45] WATCH NOW
“Brave” at University of Minnesota Amplatz Children’s Hospital
“Roar” CHAD: Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
The combined talents of patients, parents, doctors, nurses and hospital administrators covered this Katy Perry hit single. [3:53] WATCH NOW
“Roar” CHAD: Children’s Hospital at Dartmouth-Hitchcock
The Hospital Window: Hallmark SpiritClips Original
Hallmark has a lock on the “Watch, Feel, Share” concept of emotional transportation. (It’s the trademark of their SpiritClips business.) Although not a hospital or a music video, they show us how it’s done. In this brief inspirational clip a patient entertains his blind roommate with stories about a couple in the park. [4:37] WATCH NOW
The Hospital Window: Hallmark SpiritClips Original
If you liked our video examples, please share this post with a colleague. And for more on this topic, click through to these previous posts, Medical Marketing’s Year of the Video – Creative Examples You’ll Want to Use and Create Video Posts Your Healthcare Fans Will Love.
Stewart Gandolf, MBA
Stewart Gandolf
Chief Executive Officer at Healthcare Success
Stewart Gandolf, MBA, is Chief Executive Officer of Healthcare Success, one of the nation's leading healthcare and digital marketing agencies. Over the past 20 years, Stewart has marketed and consulted for over 1,000 healthcare clients, ranging from practices and hospitals to multi-billion dollar corporations. A frequent speaker, Stewart has shared his expertise at over 200 venues nationwide. As an author and expert resource, Stewart has also written for many leading industry publications, including the 21,000 subscriber Healthcare Success Insight blog. Stewart also co-authored, "Cash-Pay Healthcare: Start, Grow & Perfect Your Cash-Pay Healthcare Business." Stewart began his career with leading advertising agencies, including J. Walter Thompson, where he marketed Fortune 500 clients such as Wells Fargo and Bally's Total Fitness.
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