By David M. Mastovich

As I channel surfed the other night, I came across the Tom Cruise movie Cocktail. I’m not sure why, but Cocktail is one of those movies I end up watching for at least ten minutes every time I stumble onto it.

The premise is that Brian Flannigan (Cruise) leaves the military and goes to the big city to make his fortune. He’s unable to find a job without experience or a college degree, enrolls in business school and meets bar manager Doug Coughlin (played by Bryan Brown) who hires him.

In typical Cruise fashion, he becomes the coolest bartender of all time, tosses bottles of liquor in the air without breaking glass or spilling anything, takes 3 minutes to make one drink while dozens of bar patrons excitedly watch him and never complain. All the while, Coughlin provides cynical commentary on life.

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By David M. Mastovich

I have a friend who works for Progressive Insurance. When my eight year old son saw the company car and logo he enthusiastically asked: “Do you work with Flo?”

This got me thinking. What do people like Flo, Joe Isuzu and the “Can You Hear Me Now Guy?” do when their ad campaigns are over?

It’s a great paying gig while they have it. Stephanie Courtney who plays Progressive’s Flo reportedly earns $500,000 per year.

The downside is strangers, friends and family repeatedly ask to hear those signature lines–anytime, anywhere. Paul Marcarelli (Verizon’s Test Man), tells how during his grandmother’s funeral, as her body was being lowered into the ground, he heard the voice of a family friend say: “Can you hear me now?”

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If your company is looking to create an online commercial for your platform, here’s an example of something Kart Communications recently produced for us. If you’re looking for a new way to position yourself online contact Kart Communications today.

Philip Feldstein

It’s rare to turn on the TV, read the newspaper or open any local magazine and not see an ad for a hospital or provider within a few minutes.  Healthcare providers like other industries understand that targeting consumers is vital to the growth of their organizations.  While many regional providers are doing a great job of marketing to the public to build awareness it’s not unusual for them to neglect their most loyal group – employees.

If you ask the typical hospital employee to tell you about some of their main service lines or key physicians, chances are you will get a shoulder shrug.  I’ve seen hospitals advertise services offered that their own employees were unaware that they provided.   While these examples sound extreme there is always more that can be done to target employees.  The last thing any health system would want is for one of their employees or their family members to go elsewhere for care that can be offered by them.  However, when this data is available, it is not uncommon to discover an outmigration of your own staff to other facilities.

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