Max Healthcare releases new ad campaign

A new ad campaign revolving around the round-the-clock service of the Max Medcentre (the 24-hour Max Healthcare clinic) created by Equus Advertising, broke last Monday (September 17). The ad spend on the campaign is estimated to be Rs 1 crore. The campaign mainly comprises print ads, outdoor activities and direct mailing.

The print campaign which was released in all major English dailies and general interest magazines, is a series of advertisements talking about the availability of a physician 24 hours, seven-days-a-week at the Max Medcentre. To take an appointment with the doctor or to get some information or avail of the ambulance service of Max Healthcare, the medical institution has a toll-free helpline 1-600-11-3000.

The new campaign, like the ones in the past, strengthens the association of Max Healthcare of being ‘a health delivery system that cares for its customers for life'. Talking about the communication strategy, Suhel Seth, CEO, Equus Advertising says, "The premise of our communication was to solve the myriad consumer problems. And the last thing we wanted to do was focus on the negative aspects, like ‘if you've got cancer or AIDS come to us' etc. All we wanted to say was that we are there all the time. And the message embedded in the Max Healthcare slogan ‘caring for you…for life' reiterates our stance."

To drive home the point the multi-segmented campaign focuses on different health-related issues. "Be it an ear ache or an asthma bout, the Max Medcentre is there to take care of it all," says Seth. The print campaign will run through November.

But striking the right connection with the potential consumer can be a trifle challenging in a segment like healthcare. "Yes. You cannot talk about discounts. The offer should be transparent and genuine. It is not be about pushing or selling. Because it is personal …it's about one's health and one has to be soft," adds Seth.

The response to the print ads has been overwhelming, claims Seth. "On day one (Monday last week) of the ad we received 185 phone calls. On Tuesday we had an additional 197 and on Wednesday there were 270 calls. This makes it clear that it is an important issue with people and we have touched the right nerve," explains Seth.

Currently, there is one Max Medcentre at Panchsheel Park in south Delhi. By the year-end, such Medcentres would come up in the north, west and east Delhi/Trans-Yamuna regions, and a couple more by early next year. Already there are two Dr Max clinics located within Delhi city - one each at Greater Kailash and Maharani Bagh.

Going by the areas where the Max Healthcare clinics are located it appears that the target customer is probably an affluent person. "No," Seth disagrees. "The target consumer belongs to SEC A, B and the fringe SEC C. Moreover, the pricing and packaging is very competitive." Another important fact that the campaign attempts to put across is Max Healthcare's association with Harvard Medical International. By virtue of this technical collaboration, Max Healthcare has access to the extensive knowledge pool and resources of the leading medical school in the world.

Besides setting up the Medcentres at vantage locations, Max Healthcare in working on sprucing up its healthcare delivery mechanism in a big way. Max plans to have a three-tier - primary, secondary and tertiary - health care delivery system in place. In the first tier will be 12-hour neighbourhood clinics called "Dr Max". These are conveniently located clinics providing primary consultation services, access to specialist care in a range of problems, basic radiology services like X-Ray and ECG and a collection centre for pathology tests.

In the second tier will be the comprehensive ‘ambulatory care and diagnostic centres' called Max Medcentres that offer specialist consultations, advanced diagnostic services, day-care surgery, 24-hour pharmacy, ambulance service, and preventive health and immunisation services. In addition to these centres, Max plans to build a mid-sized community of general hospital as well as major tertiary care hospitals that would develop into centres for research, teaching and specialty care. The first two of such tertiary care centres would be opened in hospitals in the National Capital Region over the next four years.

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