One of the highlights of my Chicago summer is the Air and Water
Show. Every year, the city brings out
stunt planes and jets to put on a big spectacle along the lake. Regardless of whether I’m at North Beach or
sitting in my apartment, I feel like I’m part of the action if for no other
reason than the sound of these planes invading our city.
Listening to the jets in my apartment this year reminded me of the
early tactics of the Iraq War. At the
beginning of the conflict, the US flew these same planes overhead and remotely bombed
cities to scare Saddam Hussein and force him to surrender. This “shock and awe” tactic certainly scared
me into paying attention to the show this past weekend – could it do the same
for patients?
A great example of this already in place are the cigarette pack labels
that either warn smokers about the dangers smoking or show graphic images of its
effects. Another example is the annual
drug or drunk driving seminars for middle and high school students, complete
with a totaled car for dramatic effect.
But could this tactic be put in place for less severe problems and a
more sophisticated group? Let’s say we
want to target heart disease. While we
read stories about it every day, people may benefit by seeing, firsthand, the
impact of poor nutrition, low exercise, and not taking medications.
For example, a company could require all employees to view an annual seminar
on the topic, where they bring in a motivational speaker directly affected by
the disease to talk about its impact on them and show how the disease has
ravaged their life. To get people to attend, the employer could provide
insurance credits or a reward through attendance. The seminar would be sponsored and facilitated
either by the employer or their insurance company, who would both realize cost
savings through better behavior. At the
end of the day, this type of event could promote better health by exposing
realities first hand at a relatively low cost.
The tough part of this analogy, however, is that the tactic didn’t work
in Iraq or with cigarettes. While they
both initially opened people’s eyes, these sounds and images became too
commonplace, so people made it part of their daily routines and started to
ignore them. That’s why I think the key
is limiting this type of marketing and making it as shocking and controversial
as possible. This solution would also need
to be part of a larger effort that rewarded behavior rather than just scaring,
but it could send a strong message like jet engines in Chicago each summer.
