When the King of Queens was popular on television I never watched it. These days I watch it everyday on reruns. I love Doug and Cari…and I guess their popularity can be explained by their universal truths.
The other night I watched an episode that portrayed Doug having a difficult time with the challenging problem of selecting a birthday gift for Cari. This is a quandary I find myself in at least once each year.
Doug was overjoyed when he found the “perfect gift.” Cari complained about how badly she looked in glasses, so Doug bought her Lasik surgery. Pure win-win.
Until, Cari almost went blind.
You see, Doug, true to form, decided to improvise. Instead of taking the advice of Cari’s boss, who had successful surgery, Doug looked for a deal. He took a deal that he “couldn’t refuse.” Gee…I’ve heard that language before.
Lucky for Cari…the procedure was reversed by the real doctor…the original doctor that Doug was referred to.
But this is fiction, right? Well in today’s world, truth is stranger than fiction.
These days we see anybody who takes a weekend course can become certified to do many procedures that were limited to the most qualified providers just a few years ago. My last few blog posts were concerned with tooth whitening, but other services readily come to mind, like Botox, and Lasik surgery.
The other day I received an e-mail from a “list site” that seemed more informational than promotional. It explained that optometrists would soon be able to perform Lasik surgery in some states. Doug and Cari are starting to look real.
On that same day I became aware of a deal that had to be stopped because too many people had bought it. The deal was for $20 worth of food for $10 at Whole Food Supermarkets. How many deals do you think sold?
ONE MILLION…then they stopped it.
Now that’s powerful promotion.
Can you feel it yet? Where is health care going? Enough caveat emptor…this isn’t 1954 anymore. Don Draper couldn’t survive these days. Today the science of neuro-marketing, and persuasion put the consumer at significant risk. And it’s a risk that the health care powers should take more seriously. Cari went blind on television…but how many patients looking for a good deal will suffer at the hands of unscrupulous marketers and professionals?