COMMENTS
Although as a social networking software firm, I'm not sure a viral video would do much for product promotion I do think that this should be something our company looks at for our charity events. The videos could be used as a win/win, we get a little exposure while helping to highlight a good cause. Hats of to the folks at St. Vincent that was a great video!
I think what the video was missing was some sort of call to action. So I passively watched a bunch of hospital people dance around, but what has it accomplished?
Why not use the captioning available in YouTube videos to give ideas on what viewers can do to fight breast cancer or give facts (kind of a VHS Pop-Up Video style)?
They could also link to websites where viewers can donate to their related charity or the main breast cancer charities.
(http://www.thebreastcancersite.com and http://ww5.komen.org/, by the way.)
Call to action, call to action, call to action. Why be passive and just give some kind of warm fuzzy?
I liked the video - nice cuts - and a lot of work was obviously put into it so not trying to slam them or anything. It just could have more actual impact in the real world.
I really like Cheryl's suggestion of including a CTA VH1 Pop Up video-style. I also like that this video allows us to see a goofier side to healthcare professionals in this video!
@David Nielsen You make some good points about areas for improvement. They could have done even more with the video, yes. But, I think I like it the way it is. This video really branded the St. Vincent Hospital as an approachable community and hospital that cares about not only taking care of their patients but promoting Breast Cancer Awareness. They might not be evolved enough to have included a call to action with their video pushing people to act, but then again the goal of this video seems to only have been to raise awareness about Breast Cancer, not affiliate themselves with a specific charity.
Either way, they have my attention now. If they were to create a follow-up video that had a strong call to action that invited people to join a Breast Cancer walk or donate to a specific charity, I think they will find, like Matt Harding did with his 2008 video, that there is a very excited Internet community happy to promote it.
That was an entertaining video. I could see how something like that could drive traffic and snag some passerbys.
I think this video is fantastic. Call to action? Support breast cancer research and fund raising! But more than that it makes us realize that hospitals are full of real people and that take the 'scariness' out of medicine. I love it. I think it's very well done and it's got me thinking what can we do around here. We're a Heli-Ski company and we think all people want to see is people skiing and how much snow we have, but we have amazing connections with our guests and they would LOVE some behind the scenes dirt on us CMH'ers.
Great post - thanks!
I like the video and the idea behind why they did what they did, a wonderful way to show support, and to showcase how friendly and approachable the staff at the hospital is, kudos to them to committing to doing something like this and going all the way with it.
That being said, I agree that having some pop up information about how to fight breast cancer would have been a very good addition to the presentation overall. I was shocked to see this video up here today because I just ran across another hospital in NH that did something very similar, but in my opinion not as well on the execution side, check it out and see for yourself: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1J_qtaLBas
I watched it and kept waiting for the "fantastic video" you mentioned. This video is a little bit of PR for the hospital, but its main value is in letting its participants point their friends to it and say, "Look for me at the 2-minute mark."
Looks like somebody's first try at social media. Hope the next one is better.
As Jane said earlier, "But more than that it makes us realize that hospitals are full of real people and that take the 'scariness' out of medicine."
I think this video is absolutely wonderful. Since I've spent a lot of time in hospitals with my sister, I love that the hospital has made such a friendly, accessible video that shows that they have so much heart. They've transformed what is known to be a sterile environment into a place that patients feel comfortable in.
I really appreciate that they've included everyone who works there, from surgeons to cooks, nurses to administrators.
Kudos to you, St. Vincent's!
I really enjoyed the video, and think its very smart marketing for St. Vincent's and also for a great cause. Yes, it could include more about donations and how to contribute, but I believe most people are smart enough to figure it out either way.
I love the imagery that is used to make the viewer realize that St. Vincent's works as a team together and not just on day to day operations but also for the causes they support. Yes, they are in the healthcare industry, and yes, they are focused on breast cancer awareness, but the video is still adorable.
I lost my grandmother to breast cancer (in Oregon not too far away from St. Vincent's) and I will be forwarding this on to my family members as I know they will be touched.
Too long, too repetitive, no call to action and the old guy with the mop was the star. What is it with old guys dancing around that makes people smile? :-)
What I find most effective about this is that, yeah, you're watching it and feeling good and it's great that everyone got together for this video, its well shot and edited, but once its all said and done, you really do start thinking about breast cancer. They probably got everyone involved because you have to have a real resentment toward life to not want to contribute to breast cancer awareness, and that meta-layer of thought really helps drive breast cancer awareness home.
Awareness achieved - marketing successful.
I thought the video was fun to watch, but I have to agree with the comment regarding call to action. It is great Hubspot is blogging about and showing these videos. I'm working on my social media program and incorporating videos is very key so seeing what others are doing is extremely helpful. Thanks again for the post!
To me, this video is intended for an audience of women who are currently battling breast cancer. Their primary concern is receiving care from a hospital that will not only physically treat them, but also uplift them as they fight the illness. Because of the target audience, I don’t know that statistics about research and fundraising would necessarily have a place in this video. At this point, they don't need awareness. Rather, the focus is given to promoting the hospital staff and the personal care that a patient will receive. I think this video represents a side of breast cancer survival that is often overlooked, and that in itself makes both the hospital and the video memorable.
Marketing people are so jaded. I've been one of them for 25 years. Getting an audience to do or think what we want... paid off and measured by a call to action is what we live for. That said, (here's comes the heresy), sometimes just feeling good about where you work, where you seek treatment, or getting energized on an important issue is enough. Hospitals can be scary places for patients and tough places to work. But not at St. Vincent's. People dance. How very human.
nice video. After all this is able to perform its main objective.
A perfectly blend of marketing and corporate social responsibility.
Well that was enjoyable and very well done. If there had been a blatant call to action, then it would have marred the effect. It's how you feel after watching it that determines how you will act so there's your call to action, Matt Nelson and David Nielsen.
I think part of its appeal lies in simplicity and as you said Shannon, believing in yourself. Videos are fast becoming the number one communication tool on the web, and this shows how much potential there is. I use videos often because I find my readers prefer to see me and feel closer to me than if I just used text and images.
I think this video is fantastic. Call to action? Support breast cancer research and fund raising! But more than that it makes us realize that hospitals are full of real people and that take the 'scariness' out of medicine. I love it. I think it's very well done and it's got me thinking what can we do around here. We're a Heli-Ski company and we think all people want to see is people skiing and how much snow we have, but we have amazing connections with our guests and they would LOVE some behind the scenes dirt on us CMH'ers.
While I understand those that maintain that this wonderful video was missing a CTA, I have to respectfully disagree. This video promoted the hospital in ways that words never could. Moreover, what it accomplished was "befriending their brand" via soft, soft soft touch mentioning the company at the very beginning for context & at the very end. A CTA would have taken away the soft touch. To those who said it speaks only to breast cancer survivors, again I'd have to disagree because cancer is an issue that touches everyone either directly or indirectly so this video evokes a response from lots of different people [including those somehow touched by different cancers]. Great video,& great learning tool. Thanks for sharing it.
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