Medical advertising delivers true-to-life portrayals of illness
Implications - Medical advertising experts are embracing an honest approach to health-related campaigns. Avoiding the sugar coating of chronic illnesses serves the interests of an influential subset of consumers desiring transparency. This is largely tied to the information age, which encourages contemporary culture to seek out the truth in all matters.
Workshop Question - What sugar-coating goes on in your industry? How could you stand out by "cutting through the noise"?
Trend Themes
1. Realistic Health Campaigns - Medical advertising is embracing an honest approach to health-related campaigns that avoids sugar coating of chronic illnesses.
2. Gruesome Visuals - Campaigns using gruesome visuals and harsh messages to communicate the severity of health issues and to potentially encourage behavioral change.
3. Humorous Death - Campaigns that use humor and satire to get people to think, talk and plan for death and may open opportunities for alternative funeral options.
Industry Implications
1. Healthcare - Realistic and unambiguous visual and audio campaigns that show the true state of ailments can promote better health awareness and early detection.
2. Advertising - More researched and data-driven campaigns that move away from the over-saturation with happy and comfortable depictions of disease can add value to the industry.
3. Entertainment & Art - Movements in both mainstream/ pop culture and art that promote the truth about health and illness while striving to lessen the societal taboos could create educational impact.
