Simple but powerful one-word captions accompanied by provocative close-up shots of individuals is the ad approach used by the precision instrument division of Olympus America to convey the life-altering role that microscopes play in our lives.
The consumer campaign, launched in September, differentiates Olympus as the only medical equipment manufacturer in its category to raise awareness that it's important to seek medical tests and screenings, and the use of a state-of-the-art microscope in making quick and accurate diagnoses.
The creative - a two-page color spread - depicts patients who have just received the results of a clinical diagnosis. The first page features a large close-up image of the patient accompanied by a one-word diagnosis - "Benign" for the results of a breast cancer test and "Cirrhotic," which confirms the cause of a man's liver dysfunction.
The second page explains the importance of seeking early medical intervention and provides resources for disease management. The copy subtly mentions the precision of Olympus microscopes with a simple, straightforward statement: "Nobody gets closer to life than we do."
The ads, created by McCaffery Ratner Gottlieb & Lane (MRG&L), a New York advertising agency, are running in The New Yorker and The New York Times Sunday Magazine. So far, the ads have generated favorable responses from doctors who appreciate the strong consumer call to action for medical testing and to those that have been diagnosed with the diseases highlighted in the campaign, like breast cancer survivors and alcoholics, says Michael Kahn, a VP of creative services at MRG&L. Ironically, this was designed to be a trade campaign without a consumer component. But when Dan Biondi, senior VP of the precision instrument division of Olympus, saw the imagery, he also saw the opportunity to educate consumers about preventive medicine and the tremendous role that medical professionals and microscopes play in accurate diagnosis.
Since the consumer campaign launch in September, Olympus has spent $1 million to run monthly the three ads on breast cancer, cirrhosis and syphilis.
A fourth ad on hepatitis is scheduled to run this month and an upcoming ad will focus on infertility.
(Olympus America, Dan Biondi, 516/844-5101; MRG&L, Michael Kahn, 212/661-8940)