10 Winning Healthcare Advertising Pieces (And Extra Inspiration!)

In today’s digital world, having a robust online presence is no longer an interesting trend but rather a necessity for businesses in all industries. This rings especially true for healthcare companies seeking to connect with their audience in a meaningful way. And a great way to start establishing that presence is through the use of healthcare advertising.

Navigating the delicate balance between patient-centered content and effective marketing can indeed be challeing, particularly for those unfamiliar with healthcare video production. However, mastering this art is crucial for staying competitive in this crowded niche.

That’s why, in this article, I’ve compiled 10 of the best healthcare ads of all time that can inspire your next piece. On top of that, you’ll also find some explainer videos and images, so whatever you have in mind, I’ve got you covered 😉.

Now, without further ado, let’s jump right in.

The 10 Best Video Healthcare Advertising Examples

It’s no secret that video content strategies have taken the world by storm, so let’s start this article with 10 awesome examples of video health ads that have made an impact among audiences worldwide.

1. The ALS Association – The Power of Social Media

Back in 2014, the “#IceBucketChallenge” took the world by storm. I mean, who hasn’t heard about it? What most people ignore, though, is that it began as part of a healthcare advertising campaign by the ALS Association.

You see, the Association sought to spread awareness and obtain funding for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis research by making a simple video that challenged people to bump a bucket of ice water on their heads or donate $100 to the ALS Foundation. After that, they’d have to challenge three other people to do the same.

This unique campaign left behind cold and wet people, but also raised more than $100 million dollars for the ALS Association in the first month! Thousands of people took part in it, whether doing the actual challenge or sharing the videos, which made a tremendous impact on spreading awareness.

2. NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital – A Netflix-Worthy Health Advertisement

This masterpiece of a medical advertisement looks like it belongs among Netflix’s top productions. It has it all: emotional music, compelling storytelling, and top-notch cinematography.

This 60-second patient story is, of course, meant to promote the services of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, but the powerful patient spotlight also serves to raise awareness stokes and how even young and healthy people can get them.

3. SickKids Foundation – Impactful Visuals

Childhood illness is a very tragic and dark thing —quite literally. This healthcare ad begins on a gloomy note, with powerful imagery of a black cloud overtaking kids’ and families’ lives. But then, those same children become the light that fight back the shadows, reminding the viewer of the amazing strength that children have.

The message is moving and powerful, and I don’t know about you, but it made me want to follow these kids into battle! Now, the cherry on top, is that this medical ad ends with a call to action that allows the audience to do just that by “becoming a monthly donor.”

4. OrthoCarolina – Tickling the Patients’ Funny Bone

Humor is a bit of a taboo when it comes to health advertisements. After all, illnesses and injuries are such sesitive topics that there are high chances of offending the audience if you try to make something funny out of them.

But sometimes you can add a bit of humor depending on the particular topic and your audience. OrthoCarolina, a leading independent orthopedic and sports medicine provider, made this award-winning health ad about knee problems. It’s incredibly simple and only 30-seconds long, yet it has the perfect balance of humor and empathy.

5. UCHealth – Hitting Them with a Plot-Twist

The voice-over narration and the close-up shots of the bike are perfectly engineered to make us believe that this is a product advertisement about mountain bikes —up until the last 5 seconds of the healthcare ad. Turns out that “the most extraordinary technology in mountain biking” is actually the biker’s new spine, which he go replaced at UCHealth.

This plot-twist makes the health advertising piece a lot more interesting, as it shows the direct results of the surgery and turns the replaced spine into a life-changing piece of high-level technology. Not for nothing it has over 1.2 million views on YouTube!

6. Wyoming Health Department – Not Afraid of Controversy

The healthcare industry is plagued with controversial topics, and many practices and professionals would rather avoid discussing them than getting into a big argument. But that’s not always possible, like when it comes to the importance of vaccination.

Wyoming already had one the lowest percentages of vaccinated people in the United States and, to make matters worse, the Covid-19 controversy affected the vaccination rates for all other diseases as well. So, the Wyoming Health Department produced this award-winning healthcare ad in a creative cinematic style to disarm the controversy with humor and a clever plot twist at the end.

7. Montreal Children’s Hospital – A Different Approach

The Montreal Children’s Hospital set out to achieve a very ambitious goal: attracting donors and raising $200 millition in an incredibly competitive market for children’s charities. So, to stand out from the competition, they took a different approach to healthcare advertising. 

This touching friendship story feels more like a short movie than a medical ad, and it’s not only for the quality visuals and touching script. Instead of showing a list of physical symptoms to watch out for or the battle of overcoming an illness, this piece focuses on how healthy children can be a handful and, if we’re all being honest, a bit bratty. So, when they’re quiet, it might mean that something’s wrong.

MCH wants to help kids be little brats again, and the goal of this health ad was to show how donations to the foundation can have a big impact on the lives of patients and their loved ones.

8. Inspira Health – Being Unexpected

Let’s face it, you might be terribly excited about that fancy new piece equipment you bought or the novel treatment you’re now able to offer, but your patients might not share that same exciting. Even if you make a cool healthcare ad about it, they may quickly lose interest in what you have to say simply because they can’t image the real impact of the innovations.

So, Inspira Health had to find an unexpected way to get people interested in their new robotic surgery tool and understand what it means for the practice to have it. This medical advertisement has a very simple message: “Advanced robotics. Experienced physicians. When it comes to minimally invasive surgery, we don’t play around.” But what makes it stand out is the surprising use of the classic Operation game to showcase the effectiveness of the tool.

9. A Coalition of 100 Providers – During Hard Times, the “Competition” Are Your Allies

I know how, when it comes to health related advertisements, you want to stand out from other practices and professionals. And I get it, that’s always the goal in video marketing. However, there are trying times when it’s crucial to forget about the competition because there’s strength in numbers.

The Covid-19 pandemic was one such time, and that’s why around 100 of the nation’s healthcare systems, in the name of thousands of hospitals across the United States, came together in this health advertisement. 

The goal was to urge citizens to wear their face masks and support the efforts of the healthcare providers. What made this healthcare advertising campaign so effective is that the organizations forgot about their differences and their competition and united to make an impact and relay a powerful message.

10. Penn Medicine – Leveraging Symbolism

Last but not least, we have this healthcare ad that doesn’t stand out for its fancy visuals or clever humor, but rather for its impactful symbolism.

Penn Medicine wanted to show off their services, but instead of featuring the expected footage of white coats and lab results that would feel like corporate video production, they focused on beautiful imagery and symbolism to showcase how they’re moving medicine forward. An orchestra conduction at work and glowing fireflies are definitely more eye-catching than actual images of a bilateral hand transplant and fluorescent dye helping find hidden tumor cells.

The symbolism in this health advertisement makes the viewer feel hopeful about the future of medicine and attach that excitement to Penn Medicine.

5 Best Healthcare Explainer Videos

When it comes to healthcare marketing, you can’t only rely on ads to convey your message and connect with your patients. For example, sometimes, there are products and services that are simply too complex to explain in a short advertisement. That’s when you need an explainer video that can break down the information into easily digestible bits that anyone can understand.

If you don’t believe just how important it is to include explainers into your video strategy, take a look at this piece we made for MedVector. It only cost the company $10,000 and helped them raise $3.5 M and gain 555 investors!

That being said, here’s a short list of some of the best healthcare explainer videos out there:

1. Beckman Coulter Life Sciences – Simplify Complex Processes

Showing complex processes can be a pain, but animated explainer videos can trasnform that into an educational experience that easily breaks down how to use a new system or follow a procedure.

At Yum Yum Videos, we created this fantastic explainer video for our friends at Beckman Coulter Life Sciences so their audience could quickly learn how to place an order for reagents, dyes, and more without getting confused or wasting valuable time in the process.

2. Zocdoc – Stand Out

Explainers can also make your message more approachable to lay audiences, so they don’t feel daunted when they have to find a new doctor online. Moreover, they can help you find a unique voice that sets you apart from your competitors and encourages viewers to find out more about what you have to offer.

3. Med Mart – Show You Understand Your Audience

One of the great things about animated characters is that they can help you create relatable situations that your audience can easily see themselves in. What’s more, they can help turn what would otherwise be a dry explanation into a compelling story that shows patients you truly understand what they might be going through.

4. Denovo Dental – Ease Potential Concerns

Let’s be real, we all hate going to the dentist, especially if we need to undergo a procedure that we don’t fully understand. So, imagine what that would be like for a child that barely understands healthcare terminology. Cue to gentle, adorable explainer videos that go over the whole process so the viewer can feel more confident and comfortable about their treatments.

This kind of educational cartoon style content can also be a great YouTube content idea if you already have a channel and want to grow your presence there.

5. Counseling Directory – Tackle Sentitive Topics

There are certain topics, like mental health struggles, that can be incredibly challenging to represent in a tactful manner or to convey accurately. Luckily, explainers allow you to use personification and visual metaphors to showcase how these struggles usually impact a person’s life.

This particular piece does a great job of personifying the fear a person with eating disorders suffers, something that would be almost impossible to show with a live-action video, for example. By combining that with video storytelling they were able to respectfully approach a subject matter as delicate as this one.

How Could Yum Yum Videos Help with Your Biotech or Healthcare Explainer Video?

Since biotechnology and life science companies delve into intricate research that spans beyond the scientific community and need to communicate complex information to their audience, it’s vital that they use a medium that can make those concepts more accessible, not only to potential investors but also to fellow scientists, medical professionals, and a broader audience.

To create effective healthcare explainer videos, we offer:

• Proven Industry Experience: With over 12 years in the industry and a portfolio that includes hundreds of videos and healthcare ads for industry leaders like Thermofisher, McKesson and Bayer, we bring a wealth of experience and a solid track record of success in the biotech sector.
• Specialized Scriptwriters in Biomedical Science: To ensure that your message is effectively communicated and bridge the technical and storytelling aspects seamlessly, we’ve put together a team who possesses both expertise in biotech marketing videos and and also academic backgrounds in biomedical science.
• Industry-Adapted Processes: Fully aware of the unique challenges and procedures within the biotech industry, we tailor our processes to align seamlessly with your company’s needs and technical protocols.

But that’s not all! If you want to know more about us and our services, you can visit our homepage or contact us. We’d love to hear your ideas and give you a hand connecting with your patiens!

3 Best Image Healthcare Advertising Examples

Now that we’re done with promotional video production, let’s go over some amazing examples of image healthcare advertising!

1. National Jewish Health –  Healthcare Advertising

Testimonial health ads are another go-to resource for building brand trust. They’re proof of your good work and the positive experiences former patients have had with you, and if that wasn’t enough, they’re also amazing at summarizing an emotional story in just one picture.

A vital part of this campaign was its catchphrase, “We never say never”, as well as having a related phrase as the focal point (in this case, “he’ll never see her first catch”). Both elements were featured in all other ads. By doing this, National Jewish Health created a cohesive thread among all the campaign’s assets, branding and making them instantly recognizable by anyone coming across them.

2. Stop Wasting Life – Argentine Transplant Foundation

Sometimes, spreading awareness about serious diseases has to be done with a stone-cold approach. Take full advantage of the medium and use related objects or pictures to convey your message to make it even more powerful than a wall of text detailing the subject matter.

In this healthcare advertising example by DDB Argentina, using trash bags clearly resembling the shape of lungs can seem a bit harsh, but it’s impossible to deny how effective it is at delivering the foundation’s message. No words are needed to realize that they’re trying to say, “this is what organs look like when they’re not donated.” 

3. For Your Consideration – Providence St. Joseph Burbank

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The “For Your Consideration” healthcare ads start popping up in Los Angeles around the film-industry award season every year. This campaign could only be done in LA, and that was the key to its success!  Providence Saint Joseph was able to show that it’s a community hospital that truly knows and understands its patients. Not only were they able to tell the audience that they’re part of their community, they showed them and became a phenomenon that people now expect to see very year.

3 Key Healthcare Video Marketing Stats

As a healthcare provider, you surely know that statistics and hard data are crucial to making informed decisions. So, if you’re still unsure about embarking on the healthcare video marketing journey, here are some numbers to prove why it’d be a smart decision to do it.

• 94% of patients look for online reviews when evaluating potential providers. While reviews are an easy way for them to get a feel for your practice, it’s always a good idea to also produce patient video testimonials because seeing and hearing a real person sharing their experience makes the review feel more authentic.
• Adding video content to healthcare vmails and newsletters increases CTR by up to 300%. Email marketing is one of the best ways to stay in touch with your patients, so why not ensure its effectivenes by including one or two video pieces in it?
• About 77% of patients start their healthcare journey through search engines. This means that SEO is vital for your marketing efforts, and since YouTube is the second largest search engine, there’s no doubt video content and healthcare ads can play a huge role in driving patients to your practice.

Frequently Asked Questions about Healthcare Ads

Before you leave, I’d like to tackle some common questions we’ve been asked about these ads:

1. What is healthcare advertising?

It’s a promotional strategy that healthcare institutions, medical professionals, pharmaceutical companies, and all other kinds of entities in the healthcare industry leverage to market their services and products and to promote patients’ health and well-being. Healthcare advertising can take many forms, some of which are animated ads and marketing videos, but they all have the goal of raising awareness, educating the audience, promoting services and products, and even encouraging people to take specific health-related actions.

2. How do you advertise a medical product?

Health video ads can be your greatest ally when you need to advertise a medical product because they’re highly versatile. For example, you can create a few pieces breaking down the medical condition your product addresses, positioning it as a solution the audience should definitely consider. At the same time, making training videos to teach potential customers how to use medical equipment can make them more confident in choosing you.

Another option is to partner with influencers or renowned professionals in your niche who can promote and boost your product’s credibility with social media video production.

Keep in mind that the best approach for your medical product will ultimately depend on your audience’s preferences, your marketing goals, and your budget.

3. How do you create a healthcare advertising strategy?

Creating a marketing strategy from scratch is a very complex process, but here are some steps that can serve you as a starting point:

• Define clear goals: Choose the specific objectives you want your advertising campaign to achieve. Is it promoting a medical device or simply raising awareness about a health issue? Both? Maybe you also want to drive traffic to your practice’s website and generate leads…
• Research your audience: Do enough research about your audience’s demographics, preferences, and pain points to fully understand them.
• Create the right content: Focus on providing valuable resources that resonate with your audience, and make sure your key message is clear, and concise.
• Choose your distribution channels wisely: Depending on your target audience and objectives, you’ll have to select the most effective advertising channels. To maximize your efforts and reach, you might want to consider using a mix of channels.
• Don’t be afraid of asking for help: Planning an entire video strategy by yourself is not easy. That’s why there are animation studios in New York dedicated to helping healthcare companies succeed.

Wrapping Up

Well, that’s it for now! I hope you’ve learned a thing or two 😄.

Of course,  healthcare advertising can be quite a task, so I understand it can feel daunting at first. But the results are more than worth it, I can guarantee it.

So, now that you’ve seen these awesome healthcare marketing ideas, I’m sure you’re more than inspired to go out and start brainstorming your next ad. I bet it’s going to be amazing!