When I serve cola to guests at my home, I choose to serve Pepsi. I’ve never been a cola drinker (nor any kind of soda for that matter), and I can’t tell you the difference between Coke, Pepsi and other regional or store brands. But 55 years of exposure to advertising has taught me that Pepsi is my choice.

Which is exactly why I don’t buy the argument that people only pay attention to hospital advertising when they need a hospital. Or that younger generations don’t respond to advertising.

A quick poll around the office confirms this. Everyone at our agency has an opinion as to which hospital in our market they would choose should they need one, regardless of age. Where did they get their opinions from? Most of them can’t tell you.

When we look at the results of the campaign work we do for our hospital clients, an answer emerges. The campaigns that include traditional, mass media advertising drive exponentially more volume than those that include digital marketing alone.

Is the advertising we produce making people sick? Or is it somehow making Joe Public care?