Looking For The Helpers And Sharing Their Message

These days, it may not always feel like a beautiful day in the neighborhood. But, as Mr. Rogers also famously said, in trying times, “look for the helpers.” And truthfully, if you’re paying attention, it’s easy to find businesses and individuals who are willing to help during these circumstantial times we are living in.

There are those on the medical front lines (doctors, nurses, and other healthcare professionals), grocery store and essential business employees, law enforcement officials, and so many more who continually sacrifice their health, safety, and sense of comfort to serve others. For those of us not on the front line, the questions become, “What can I do to help?” or “How do I show my support for the people working around the clock that are facing the pandemic head-on?”

Our client, GE Healthcare, is in the unique position of directly serving those on the front line. In the face of the dire need for ventilators and other equipment, they jumped into action—and we at EPIC followed suit. We were able to help by doing what we do best: communicating information to large audiences quickly, accurately, and effectively.

For those of us not on the front line, the questions become, “What can I do to help?” or “How do I show my support for the people working around the clock that are facing the pandemic head-on?”

GE Healthcare’s audience is vast, including patients, providers, health systems, and researchers around the world. With COVID-19 directly impacting their business, most specifically the anesthesia and respiratory teams, it was critical for GE Healthcare to provide resources to their customers on the front line who were using their ventilation and anesthesia products in unprecedented circumstances. GE Healthcare tapped EPIC to edit and finalize a tutorial video series dedicated to the CARESCAPE™ R860 Ventilator that provided guidance on ventilator start-up protocol, sanitation/cleaning tips, weaning information, and much more.

We were very careful to avoid hard-sell product promotion or advertising, focusing instead on providing accurate, effective information, executed quickly. These three principles came through clearly in how we executed the project:

Accuracy

Accuracy is perhaps more important than anything else in messaging that hits across a global scale when critical patient care is at stake. Knowing the timeline was urgent, we scheduled meetings with our client early and often, and we worked together to ensure we addressed all questions, expectations, and ideas right away. We had to get it right the first time.

Effectiveness

As a creative agency, we’re always looking to find the most innovative way to do things, but we also know that peak effectiveness is the real innovation. GE Healthcare’s customers watching a how-to video (specifically in this situation) need information that is helpful and to-the-point. We focused on the message being direct, clean (but polished), and easily understood.

Speed

When we receive a “quick turnaround” request from clients, we ask for the unit of measurement: Days? Hours? Minutes? In this case, the turnaround was all about getting the resources to the customers when they needed it. It was all about working as a team, having access to all the resources, and continually working towards the next step in the process.

GE Healthcare’s commitment to their customers (who also happen to be the front-line heroes) allowed EPIC Creative to do what we love to do—help our clients when they need it most. While our part was small compared to their efforts, we are beyond grateful to assist in any way we can. We took Mr. Rogers’ advice in looking for the helpers, but we didn’t stop there. We got the chance to help them, too.

Please note: Featured image is an Aisys anesthesia machine, not a ventilator