Re: Loose Cannon: A Loaf Of Bread And Ow, Direct Newsline, July 7, 2008 (http://directmag.com/opinions-columnists/loosecannon/loose-cannon-loaf-bread-ow-0707/)
Your article on the colonoscopy incentive mailing was right up my alley! As a creative who does a lot of medical marketing, I found the story of the Panera gift card illuminating.
For the mailers not to probe as deeply into the appeal of their offer as they do into their patients was truly lax, if not laxative. But what, indeed, would make an appropriate incentive to sign up for this procedure? Some thoughts:
* A giant oversized button that says “I just had my colonoscopy!”
* A shirt imprinted: “I went to Northwest Community Hospital for my colonoscopy, and all I got was this lousy t-shirt”
* A bumper sticker that says “Honk if you’ve had your colonoscopy”
* A $10 gift card to Bed Bath and Barf redeemable for a soft toilet seat
I could go on, but don’t want to be accused of loose writing. At any rate, you got me going early this morning – thanks for helping to get the lead out.
Lauretta Harris
Write Communications Inc.
Scarsdale, NY
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