Healthcare is a business, and TV advertising is a tried and true way to get a company's message across to consumers.
Market research substantiates this claim. A 2017 survey by Lavidge and WestGroup Research found the majority (85.5 percent) of consumers said TV was the best way for a healthcare company to advertise or market to them. For this reason, some hospitals and health systems have stepped up their TV advertising efforts.
Hospital TV ads serve a variety purposes and cover a range of topics. Some of the most common ads are to solicit donations, raise awareness about a service, educate patients and spread brand awareness.
TV may be a powerful marketing tool — but squeezing complex medical information into a 30-second time slot often means that some information is left out, Yael Schenker, MD, a professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, told STAT.
"There are a lot of information asymmetries," Dr. Schenker told STAT. "Medical decisions are different than decisions about what car to buy and what cereal to eat. It's a lot harder to access the information you need to make a good decision."
Despite some peoples' discomfort with hospital advertising, many provider organizations continue to invest in marketing efforts. STAT reviewed data from media research firm iSpot.tv to identify the nonprofit hospital that bought the most valuable national TV ad time last year. The dollar figures below represent list price for air time, and do not reflect any discounts the hospitals may have negotiated.
- St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital (Memphis, Tenn.) — $84 million. St. Jude's ran 46 different ads in 2016, totaling $84 million worth of air time. Their top ad — "Fight to End Cancer."
- Shriners Hospital for Children (Tampa, Fla.) — $27 million. Shriners' top ad focused on specialty care to children, focusing on orthopedics.
- MD Anderson Cancer Center (Houston) — $13 million. "Given our national and global reach, we feel our advertising investment is appropriate and responsible," a hospital spokesperson told STAT.
- Children's Health (Dallas) — $3.3 million. Children's ran one national TV ad in 2016, promoting the organization's pediatric care.
- Cleveland Clinic — $1.6 million. Cleveland Clinic ran one national ad in 2016 about its cardiac services. "This campaign gives us the opportunity to educate patients about the availability of the heart program to them," a spokesperson told STAT.
- Nationwide Children's Hospital (Columbus, Ohio) — $1.2 million. The hospital ran one national ad soliciting donations from viewers.
Editor's note: This article was updated 5/25/17 at 3:30 p.m CST to emphasize the dollar amounts listed do not reflect the actual amount spent on TV air time.