The Picture of Health
GE Health
GE pictures a world without disease and the company does constant research to make that happen. In the meantime, it creates publicity campaigns to ensure that people make healthy choices in their daily lives. For one of those campaigns, GE turned to frog, and we created “Picture a Healthy World,” a snapshot collection of positive health ideas that were posted to a Web site and discussed. The effort culminated in a live promotion that took over multiple electronic billboard screens in Times Square on World Health Day, and the advice and photos submitted online were displayed on the Reuters billboard.
230,000 people contributed 6,000 ideas about what health means to them, and saw the results in New York’s Times Square.
For frog, a promotion of GE Healthcare was a promotion of immediacy and a celebration of healthy choices, so we set out to create an informative, interactive campaign that would allow ideas to be shared between individuals. Our research showed that the Internet was perceived as the most trusted media source for healthcare information, and that people all over the world were seeking advice from others in web-based forums. We wanted to tap into the existing behaviors of these online health-seekers by providing an entertaining and encouraging framework for them to easily upload photos and testimonials about their own healthy choices—everything from eating soy and giving up cigarettes, to dancing and driving safely—while also connecting with each other.
From GE to the World
To broadcast the message to the largest global audience, we chose Times Square, one of the media and communication centers of the world. GE took over the center island with tents, camera crews, and signage. All material—from hand-outs to costumes, from online ads to billboard animation—was designed by frog. “Street-teams” met passers-by with informative pocket guides, water bottles,
and conversation, but above all, with the opportunity to share their own healthy choices. Live photos and personal statements were taken and projected onto an unprecedented nine digital billboards lining the south-facing side of Times Square.
A phenomenal 1,083 photos were taken at the Times Square event and uploaded to the Web site, breaking all of Reuters' previous records for a live broadcast event. During the first two months of the promotion, more than 230,000 visitors from 195 countries viewed the site, contributing over 6,000 “healthful” photos and stories to ge.com/health—a response eight times greater than the industry average.
