NHS marketing - the stuff of nightmares

Take a good look at this photo. If that’s not a mess I don’t know what is. The truth is you’ll see many noticeboards like this in services run by the NHS - it’s a marketer’s nightmare. Even though it has a broad theme (I took it in the maternity wing of my local hospital) there are so many things wrong with delivering information about services to patients in this way:

1. It’s a bombardment

Just look at what’s on offer. Whether you’re after breastfeeding advice, a domestic violence helpline, information for immigrants, aquanatal classes, ‘Twinline’, help with smoking cessation or pre-eclampsia advice (and the list goes on) you can find it here. Quite frankly, it’s just too much to take in, and the potential target demographic for these services is enormous. Imagine if Sainsbury’s marketed all of its products at you in this way: you wouldn’t know whether you wanted cheese, frozen peas or anti-freeze!

2. It’s not relevant to you

Of all the different things here, which one might you actually use? Are any of these things relevant to the people that typically sit in this waiting room and, if so, which are the most important? Who should be reading what?

3. It’s probably the incorrect delivery method

Do you actually read notice boards? Can you even read them? In most NHS waiting rooms the notice board will be behind you, or on the other side of the room. How likely are you to get up and read something behind someone else’s head? Not very, I’d imagine. A nice long wait might tempt you into getting up and having a nose through the leaflets and posters, but even then you’ll be doing it out of frustration and boredom rather than interest.

4. The brand is all over the place

The NHS is a brilliant brand and stands for so much, but it’s totally lost here under too many leaflets and external services.

5. It’s ugly

I’d rather look at my shoes than at one of these noticeboards.

It might not seem that important, but getting the right materials in front of the right people can make the world of difference. The NHS offers many great services, but they’re often hidden or only accessible through word of mouth referrals from staff. Directing people to services they might previously not have been aware of, which they’re funding through their taxes and from which they could greatly benefit, is crucial.

NHS organisations should be asking themselves ‘who are our customers?’,'what do they want from us?’, ‘do we supply it?’, and ‘how can we let them know about it effectively?’ Rather than attempting to communicate your message to every possible customer via the rather ineffective ‘information blitz’, you’d be better off making the message clear to a single, targeted group.

Opening up the range of services to customers by identifying their needs and giving them what you know they want, rather than everything they might want is the next step for NHS marketing. Most depressingly of all, for someone this noticeboard is ‘job done’, with the ‘marketing and patient engagement’ box ticked. That needs to change.

About the author

Jake Griffiths heads up the FreshMinds Healthcare Research team, as well as being a consultant to our Public Sector Practice. Jake has been with FreshMinds since 2003, and previously worked at the FTSE 100 firm BHP Billiton and the accountancy Baker Tilly in research and information roles. Outside of his passion for research, Jake strives to become the best left back in the Thames League (Division One) and enjoys annoying his long-suffering neighbours with his dubious homemade music productions.