Making It Stick: The Case of the Haunting Wheelchair

This Ad Week article I stumbled upon today showcases a brilliant campaign developed by FCB Health for osteoporosis awareness.  The following PSA video that FCB produced showcases the difficulties of raising awareness for osteoporosis, using traditional print media.  People are discretely shown taking the flyers distributed by representatives, ignoring the message, politely passing by, and throwing the flyers away at the nearest trash can.  But, FCB had a deceivingly haunting way to overcome this.  Inserting remote controls in a wheelchair, they would use it to follow people around who were not paying attention to their word in a ghost-like fashion.  This served as an alarming reminder of what can happen if you ignore the risks of osteoporosis.  As you can imagine, people were getting pretty easily freaked out as they were under the impression the wheelchair had a mind of its own.  A clever and witty way to catch people’s undivided attention, for sure.

This PSA is a breath of fresh air when it comes to raising campaign awareness.  It faces the inconvenient truth that using obsolete methods of campaign awareness brings forth.  Traditional print flyers seem to introduce an unwanted inconvenience to a person’s day.  Most people have the reflex to ignore someone handing out flyers on the corner, regardless of the message it is sending.  I know I am guilty of it myself, I actually did the same thing on campus today.  Creating a life-like medium to grab the attention of (and in this case, scare) the audience is a creative and innovative way to build campaigns in this age of short attention spans.  The message FCB Health is sending with this “ghost wheelchair” is direct and concise:  Ignore the risks of osteoporosis, and the harsh reality that ensues will follow you.  Literally.  

(*According to the article, one in two women over age 50 will break a bone due to osteoporosis.)

The article concludes with the campaign plans that FCB Health will implement going forward.  They include print, outdoor placements, and social media postings through Crouse Hospital's Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube pages.  It is also mentioned that FCB will offer it free of charge to healthcare groups and hospitals across the United States.  I think this is a great idea to jump-start the campaign, and most of all, offer valuable information on the risks of osteoporosis.  If the campaign is anything like this PSA, it should be a big hit.  I will be sure to keep tabs on how it develops from here.