Hospitals and other medical facilities have been using outdoor advertising in Chicago for many reasons, but the chief reason is often to gain trust and name recognition from the local community.
Because Chicago is a city of neighborhoods, it’s important for hospitals and medical facilities to advertise within their neighborhood and outside as well to showcase the quality of care they provide. OOH can help hospitals sustain genuine connections with those seeking healthcare providers in their specific area of Chicago.
Here are some of our favorite billboards for hospitals in Chicago.
Saint Anthony Hospital (Wallscape)
Hospitals aren’t always a need we have in our lives. It’s not like a soft drink or fast food, an affordable product that we can buy many times. Often, hospitals rely on people coming in for one event every few years, and giving birth is one of those special experiences. This Wallscape does a great job of promoting the idea that this is your neighborhood hospital, perfect for when you’re ready to have your child. The messaging plays with the idea of expecting a new child, and gives a clear picture of the high quality care provided in this facility.
This is one of our favorite pieces of creative because it just gives everyone nice feelings all around. Even if you don’t have children or don’t want them, you can feel the love the mother has for her coming baby through the photograph. Picking out the little onsie gives us the impression that maybe they’ve picked other things, too, like a name or even decorations for the baby room. When outdoor ads can get you to feel a certain way, that’s when you know they are powerful and effective and will get your message across, because the image will stay with people wherever they go.
AMITA (Bus Wrap)
What better way to announce you have many locations than to put it on a moving bus? This billboard does many things (and it does them well). First, it begins to create brand awareness. These colors, a gradient ranging from sky blue to lime green, aren't very common, so after seeing it a few times, it’s easy to begin associating it with AMITA. This Bus Wrap also expresses a simple message: we have many locations. It’s presented in a humorous or clever way, too, addressing the bus route in its messaging. Finally, it includes a website and phone number in plain view for those who wish to learn more.
A Bus Wrap outdoor ad like this one is probably meant to increase brand awareness. It’s not as likely that someone will call or visit the website right after seeing this ad. What’s more likely is people seeing AMITA online or somewhere else, and realizing that they know this brand now, that they are familiar with it and are more likely to engage with their marketing because they find it trustworthy. Outdoor ads aren’t always about being in someone’s mind every day, but rather to strategically position yourself so that when someone needs your services, they remember your brand and make the call.
UChicago Medicine (Wallscape)
UChicago Medicine is a staple of Chicago healthcare. Its high quality care is known around the country and the world, and they know they can use this for advertising purposes. The word “forefront” has a futuristic and pioneering connotation. Here, the messaging does two things. First, it gives audiences the assurance that they will receive high quality care at this facility. Second, it also implies that UChicago Medicine is at the forefront of medical care, always researching new methods of treatment to help their patients. And of course, the size helps. It’s impossible to miss this ad, with its high contrast and clear message. Any Chicagoan would take a trip to Hyde Park for some of the best medical care in the country.
Sometimes, less is more. Instead of convoluted imagery, UChicago opts for a simple creative with only text to drive home their messaging. Remember, when it comes to outdoor ads, people are driving past, riding public transit, or walking by. They’re not spending minutes looking at your ad, evaluating all its intricacies. On average, you want to make sure your message can be read or seen within 5-10 seconds. By keeping this creative simple, UChicago is increasing the likelihood that their messaging will be seen and ideally resonate with their audiences.
MedSpring Urgent Care (HotSpot)
Hospital ads and billboards don’t always have to be serious. In this ad, MedSpring Urgent Care goes with bright colors and active imagery. Urgent care is not often associated with this happy imagery, but this HotSpot works to change that perception, making urgent care not about the bad experience someone might have due to needing emergency care, but rather making urgent care about getting “back to what matters” most. The messaging implies quick and good care is being offered here, and the imagery makes the ad difficult to ignore.
Furthermore, HotSpots are affordable and perfect for a neighborhood approach. Due to their smaller size, HotSpots are great for a neighborhood splash, giving you more flexibility to make campaigns that work for you on your budget.
Northwestern Medicine #1 (Bus Wrap)
Northwestern Medicine has clear messaging on this billboard: they provide “world class care” in their medical facilities. When you need a serious procedure or want expert medical attention, this billboard can easily convince you to give Northwestern Medicine an opportunity to show their quality of care and how they help you get back to feeling your best. It’s a clear visual distinction between high class care (a woman in a gown receiving a medical examination) to enjoying life (presumably the same woman out in the world with friends and a beautiful view). Similar to the urgent care ad above, this ad reminds us what medical care is for: to get us back to living our lives as best we can.
Northwestern Medicine #2 (Bus Wrap)
Northwestern Medicine loves Bus Wraps because they work. Bus Wraps are basically big, moving billboards in a space where there is little room for outdoor advertising. Downtown Chicago and River North are high density areas, and without space for large billboards, Bus Wraps fill in the gap with a moving billboard that can’t help but get your attention. Furthermore, these buses have routes in some of the most affluent neighborhoods of the city, providing brands with high quality audiences with a lot of buying power. If you’re looking to make a disruptive campaign in Chicago, Bus Wraps are a great option.
Northwestern Medicine #3 (Bus Wrap)
With more brand awareness in this Bus Wrap, Northwestern Medicine covers a bus in their branded color called Northwestern Purple. Immediately, most Chicagoans know what this bus is promoting. Of course, the messaging helps narrow down exactly what Northwestern University wants us to leave with: they have one of the best cardiology and heart surgery programs in Illinois. No need to go elsewhere for world class care because it can be found close to where you live.
Why is Northwestern University talking about heart surgery and cardiology? Well, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men, women, and people of most racial and ethnic groups in the United States. It’s likely that someone looking at this bus either knows someone with a heart disease or has a heart disease themselves, so the messaging is very broad and can reach many people. It’s a great way to take advantage of a Bus Wrap—promote a broad message that applies to many people. Although there are instances where specific messaging can be more effective, this is a simple way to promote the quality of care this medical facility offers while also referencing something that feels relevant to most people.
Northwestern Medicine #4 (Bus Wrap)
This Northwestern Medicine Bus Wrap is similar to the one we saw above, with messaging that alternates between promoting their world class care and messaging that promotes getting you back to being 100% healthy. The imagery works to showcase these important messages. On the left, a surgeon looks attentively at a fellow surgeon, possibly conferring on how to continue with the procedure. The room looks clean, new, and without any possible problems. These are the people that bring you back to health when you have a serious condition that might necessitate surgery.
On the right hand side, we see the positive outcomes of getting medical care at Northwestern Medicine. The messaging of “you won’t lose a step” helps convey the idea that Northwestern Medicine will not only provide you with world class care while you’re in their facility; they will also ensure a fast recovery so you can get back to doing what you love, with the people (and pets) you love. It’s an important reminder of what actually matters. Hospital care is important because it lets us go back to doing what we love and spending time with those we love. And the messaging here, the simple nine words on the bus and the images convey a lot of important ideas to their audience.
UChicago Medicine (Wild Posting)
Finally, a Wild Posting! Wild Postings are excellent ways to showcase a more in-depth messaging within a trendy format. Here, UChicago Medicine wants to showcase a new location, River East. This is why these two words are the biggest in the creative. When a Chicagoan sees UChicago, they know it’s located in Hyde Park. So the mention of this new location is going to be news for most people, letting them know there is a location closer to where they live and that they can access “exceptional primary and specialty care” close to home.
It’s a simple creative, with an image of the outdoor façade to give people a sense of what the building will look like when they arrive. The messaging is clear, and there is a URL presented in case people want more information. This Wild Posting is not meant for a specific call to action, but rather it’s a great way to spread awareness of their new location. When people need medical care, they’ll remember this billboard and consider going to the River East location if that’s more convenient. The branding is also on point—classic UChicago—so it’s easy to remember and clearly see that this Wild Posting is promoting UChicago.
Northwestern Medicine #5 (Bus Wrap)
Northwestern Medicine loves Bus Wraps, as you can see. And it’s because they work. They provide high quality audiences and even help make the city look better. Take a look at this Bus Wrap creative from Northwestern Medicine. It’s so incredibly simple—all it says on the creative apart from the logo is #ImpactEveryDay. Just like with other hospital creative, the aim here is to show someone enjoying life in a healthy way, being able to run on the lake shore with an amazing view of the city behind them. For some people, this is a luxury; years of ailments and disease prevent many people from being able to run or do other strenuous exercise. With a simple image, Northwestern Medicine lets us know where their priorities lie.
Another important aspect of this Bus Wrap is its clear connection with their digital marketing. Hashtags are an easy way to merge digital and outdoor campaigns, and it’s also a great way to capture data and analytics on audiences who viewed the billboard. If people use the hashtag on their Twitter posts, it’s clear they’ve seen the ad, and boosts the impact of the outdoor ad to promote brand awareness.
Whether you need help creating a billboard campaign, or are looking to better understand how billboards can get you the results you seek, our account executives are always ready to help! Contact us today and get a free consultation for your billboard campaign.