Client: The Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center, Lauderdale-By-The-Sea, FL
Summary: Rush re-writing and re-design of a print ad for an OHNC-sponsored symposium on pediatric neurorehabilitation
The result: A very happy client:
“Jon has performed exceptionally well, and the results became apparent soon after our affiliation began. Our business has increased significantly, and we are much better organized. OHNC has received compliments from all over the world regarding the media that Jon reconstructed.”
– Richard A. Neubauer, M.D., Medical Director
Contents
(1) Background
(2) The “before” ad
(3) The “after” ad
(4) Dr. Neubauer was so delighted with this ad, that he retained me as his creative consultant to recreate other horrifically bad OHNC media tools
(1) Background
The Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center (OHNC) was a South Florida medical facility that used hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) to treat severe neurological injuries, such as Cerebral Palsy, birth defects, near-drownings, stroke, and traumas.
Richard Neubauer M.D. (1922-2007), who founded the OHNC and acted as its Medical Director for 35 years, is considered the “father” of HBOT for neurological rehabilitation. He earned a worldwide reputation for integrity and scientific rigor, and is the author of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. Read more about Dr. Neubauer here.
Here is an excellent ten minute video introduction to Dr. Neubauer and his pioneering use of HBOT, “The Recoverable Brain” (Parts 2 & 3 are located here and here).
I first became acquainted with Dr. Neubauer in the course of interviewing him for the print magazine I created and published in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, The Galt Ocean Mile INSIDER:
(2) The “before” ad
As Dr. Neubauer learned of my background in advertising, graphic design and creative consulting, he asked me to take a look at a print ad that his staff developed to promote a conference that OHNC was sponsoring, “Cerebral Palsy and the Brain-Injured Child,” and placed in the May 1999 edition of Exceptional Parent magazine:
I asked Dr. Neubauer if he wanted my polite, or unvarnished assessment of this ad. He said the latter.
I told him it was probably the worst print ad I’d ever seen:
- It was hideously designed, and practically illegible
- It was disrespectful to the parents of brain-injured children (the target market), and to any potential allied medical professionals
- It was a huge waste of money, given that he paid for a full-color placement to achieve these results
He asked me if I could rewrite and redesign the ad, and submit the new artwork to Exceptional Parent – within three days, in time for the deadline for its next issue. I said I would.
(3) The “after” ad
I strongly believed that the ad should be as information-packed as possible, but be bright, clear and organized to facilitate easy “navigation” of content.
This was the result:
(4) Dr. Neubauer was so delighted with this ad, that he retained me as his creative consultant to recreate other horrifically bad OHNC media tools
Dr. Neubauer recognized the value I could bring to the OHNC, and asked if I’d consider acting as his creative consultant. I agreed. Soon after, he engaged me on a number of design, analytical, writing and video development projects, including:
- Development of a logo icon to represent the scientific acronym for hyperbaric oxygen: “HBO2″
- Development of a graphic identity for “Neuro2,” a first-ever international symposium that Dr. Neubauer was organizing on HBOT for neurorehabilitation
- Deconstructing and redesigning the architectural structure of the OHNC’s website, and rewriting all of its key copy
- Deconstructing the OHNC’s existing patient case study videos, then reconstructing them from the ground up
The following is an excerpt of the letter of recommendation that Dr. Neubauer wrote about the value I provided to the OHNC:
“When I retained Jon, I had high hopes, but no expectations. Until that time, OHNC had been ill-served by its public relations and creative/media consultants. I feel this was primarily due to their inability to immerse themselves in and appreciate HBOT technology, the dire need for it to become a widely-available option in neurological rehabilitation, and the subtle nuances that an endeavor as challenging as ours necessitates.
“Jon has proven to be an exceptionally valuable, multi-talented asset to OHNC in our global marketing and informational campaigns.”
– Richard A. Neubauer, M.D., Medical Director, Ocean Hyperbaric-Neurologic Center, December 14, 2002