Media & Publications: Media Releases

Tales That Heal

July 2010

Hollywood’s latest advertising campaign uses the power of fairytales to show the hospital’s specialist capacity and its commitment to health and wellbeing.

The use of fairytales is not one of the most conventional hospital marketing campaigns around, but at Hollywood Private Hospital’s the backdrop of childhood fables that we all know: Humpty Dumpty, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Alice in Wonderland is being used to empower patients on their road to good health.

The campaign cleverly brings together messages about the health services offered at Hollywood, and ties them in to the morals of the childhood tales we know so well.

Inspired by a radical world-wide approach to empowering patients through health challenges, Healing Tales reminds us that healing during illness is also a matter of engaging mind and spirit to produce positive health, as well as physical.

PR and Marketing Director at Hollywood Private Hospital, Penny Tassone said “Hollywood’s message is that we are here to help you get back your quality of life. The image of the doctor wielding a surgical instrument does not characterise the overriding attitude of surgeons or the goals of Hollywood. A positive outcome – a person surfing again, or nursing their grandchild – these represent the true purpose of our medical teams.”

“Health issues often present some of our most enormous battles we’ll face in life, and the messages of our childhood stories teach us resilience, strength, courage, determination and often, the good that can emerge from a bad situation.”

Healing people through tales is being engaged around the world as a way of giving patients the mental fortitude and resilience to get well from serious or debilitating illness.  It is an approach that is getting results in hospital’s worldwide.

When researching the new campaign, the marketing team at Hollywood related many health scenarios with the messages which reside in some of our most loved childhood fables.

“Just like many of the much loved heroes of our childhood fables our medical teams are committed and focused on delivering positive outcome. The campaign is part of an ongoing effort to send a positive message about the spirit of medical care not only at Hollywood, but to all medical professionals who dedicate themselves every day to their patients needs. Special bonds are formed during times of ill health.” Penny Tassone said

“When Hollywood started the new series of advertising campaigns in 2006, we committed to only ever showing the positive goals of what we do in health care; to restore a person to good health whenever and wherever possible.”

The current fairytales campaign continues that effort with a brightly illustrated, sometimes humorous and cleverly crafted series of billboards, print advertisements and online storybook rhymes offering patients hope, comfort and strength while facing their health challenges.

“There is a ‘happily ever after’ theme to the ads,” Penny explained. “Whether it be the skill of our specialists and nurses can put Humpty Dumpty together again (orthopaedics), or assisting the tin-man to get his heart ticking again (cardiology), or restoring the pride of our big bad wolf after he’s lost his huff and puff putting the huff and puff (respiratory), this campaign address the real concerns that people have when facing a medical procedure, while maintaining a warmth and a familiarity about them.” She said