Last week (coincidentally while on my way to a conference on healthcare and emerging technology), I heard James Unland, editor of the Journal of Health Care Finance, talking on NPR about whether or not it was appropriate for hospitals to be spending money on advertising. As a consultant to healthcare organizations—many of whom have successfully and responsibly used marketing to improve inaccurate perceptions, attract funding and compete for patients—I was a bit surprised by the naiveté of Mr. Unland. Non-profit organizations or not, hospitals who do business in a free market economy (as they do here in this US) must promote themselves to survive. Put another way, hospitals and other healthcare organizations must be financially sound to fulfill their mission to serve their patients. And marketing and advertising is an essential component to their success.

His interview reminded me of another presentation I heard just a couple of weeks ago at the Washington State Non-Profit Conference. There, social entrepreneur and Harvard Business Review blogger Dan Pallotta eloquently argued for new standards by which we judge non-profit organizations. His argument was that our collective perception that non-profits should operate from a different rule book, one that prohibits them from adequately competing with their corporate counterparts by spending and investing in marketing and other types of administrative costs, limits their ability to do good in the world. His theory is that this stems from our Puritanical need justify our greed and desire for profit with charitable efforts, bi-furcating our work into that which is for good and that which is for evil.

Mr. Pollatta’s argument, one that I support, is that it doesn’t have to be so black and white. Organizations that do good can also leverage the success-promoting principles of for-profit enterprises to increase their capacity to fulfill their mission. Should we hold hospitals to a different standard than their insurance plan or pharmaceutical counterparts? I don’t think so.

-Briana Marrah

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What sparks your curiosity or motivates you to take action? Interests obviously vary from person to person, but there’s one consistent factor that significantly impacts our ability to draw others in: simplicity.

People gravitate toward concepts that are easy to understand in a few words yet still poke at the imagination.  The goal of a message should be: when people hear about it, they ask questions.

Spanx is a great example. If I told you that Spanx are “body shapers” would you be interested in finding out more? How would your impression change if I called them Power Panties? A girdle?

Body shaper is a gender-neutral description that’s easy to understand—it’s obviously slimming. And their sub-brand Power Panties works really well in targeting women while fighting the stigma of control-top undergarments.  Most importantly, upon hearing it you probably have questions. What do they look like? How do they work? Who wears them? And so on. It’s clear yet thought provoking.

Capturing that special element to compel people to action is less about wordsmithing and more about figuring out the key concepts you want to focus on. And those drilled-down concepts form your brand’s foundation. Examples:

1. Home Depot- Home improvement center for the do-it-yourselfer
2. The Simpsons- Dysfunctional family cartoon sitcom
3. Staples- Office supply ordering made easy
4. Levi’s- Classic American jeans

Ultimately, it’s this over-arching concept that helps you answer the fundamental “why?” question for your customers. Leverage your first impression by giving an easy-to-digest tidbit that hints at that “why,” and their curiosity will bring them to you with an appetite for more.

- Bianca Abate

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