When viral healthcare awareness campaigns work, and when they don't

This is a story of two viral healthcare awareness campaigns. This is the story of Movember and Pinktober, and what medical marketers can learn from the divergent effects of these two movements.

Researchers at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine followed Google search terms related to the two campaigns over a period of six years. Pinktober aims to raise breast cancer awareness during October through a variety of measures, including wearing and displaying pink. Movember encourages prostate cancer screening and awareness of other men's health issues by growing mustaches in November.

The researchers found that breast cancer and mammogram searches increased in October, but prostate cancer screening searches did not increase in November.

Why do such similar viral healthcare awareness campaigns have such different results?

Breast cancer searches increase in Pinktober. What makes it a successful viral awareness campaign?

When viral awareness campaigns work

They're timely

Part of the strength of both campaigns is that they're pegged to specific times of the year. Owning distinct months allows both campaigns the opportunity to grow over time if their initiative proves popular. Influencers who learn about the campaign one year may bring new efforts to it early on in subsequent years.

Virality depends on trends and timeliness. Pinktober benefits from a broad range of Breast Cancer Awareness Month efforts, amplifying the impact of the campaign. Movember is at odds with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, which takes place in September.

They're participatory

Successful viral campaigns engage people. They encourage individuals to participate in meaningful ways where they can stand out and express their own creativity, particularly on social media. Sharing, and encouraging others to contribute just by sharing, is less effective in getting people to support a campaign than allowing them to be seen among their peers as a visible participant in a movement. Wearing pink and growing facial hair are highly visible and participatory symbols that are easy to accomplish, photogenic and unmistakable.

When viral awareness campaigns don't work

They don't land the call to action

This core marketing practice is an essential component of what makes a viral healthcare campaign convert viewers into participants. The call to action for the viral campaign needs to be clear and achievable for the participant.

Movember has a couple of things working against it, in this regard. First of all, as the USC researchers noted, official publications altered the guidelines regarding standard prostate cancer screening methods a few years ago. Additionally, Movember participants often describe the movement as raising awareness for a broad spectrum of men's health issues. With such a wide-ranging goal, it's hard to tell if the campaign is having a tangible impact.

By contrast, let's look at another successful viral awareness campaign.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge encouraged participants to either dunk themselves in ice or donate to the ALS Association and challenge others in their social circle, encouraging them to respond to the challenge in a certain amount of time. This call to action was timely, participatory, clear and achievable. High-profile influencers in the good-natured campaign encouraged users to both participate and donate. Five years later, an independent organization concluded that Ice Bucket Challenge helped the ALS Association increase its annual worldwide research funding by 187%. Never underestimate a strong call to action.

They don't target the right demographics

The USC researchers also noted that there was a misalignment between participants in the prostate cancer campaign and target demographics for medical interventions. While Movember participants are more likely to be younger men who spend time on social networks, older men who need screening the most are more likely to be offline and less engaged with the campaign.

The success of medical marketing relies on delivering your message to the right audience at the right time. Find out how Elsevier can help you spread the word and reach targeted healthcare professionals.