I’ve recently become a huge fan of the medical drama House. If you’ve never seen this long-running Fox show starring Hugh Laurie as Dr. Gregory House, turn it on — the reruns are everywhere. He’s a brilliant, curmudgeonly doctor who leads a team of diagnosticians. In one memorable episode, House is trying to save the life of a renowned physician who insists he’s got tuberculosis—and nothing else. But numerous treatments fail to work, and time is running out.
After finally ruling out TB as the cause of the patient’s more elusive symptoms, the team is left with a puzzling question: What else causes low blood sugar? That’s when House comes up with his usual cliffhanger of a theory. Speculating that it could be a nesidioblastoma, a very tiny tumor that can disrupt the secretion of insulin, he injects calcium into the patient’s pancreas to trigger a response. Here’s where things get interesting.
The scene cuts to an exciting animated sequence inside the patient’s body. As the calcium rushes through a vein amid tumbling blood cells, I felt like I was going along for the ride. "Wow,” said my wife, who was watching with me. "The animators must have a great time working on these shows.” She was referring to other dramas besides House that also feature animated medical sequences such as CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
Her comment got me thinking. I’ve created a number of mechanism of action, MOA, videos, probably using some of the very same animators who work in TV. What made the House animation so gripping? Can those qualities be applied to the world of medical devices? How can you make sure your next MOA video has the power to wow?
Be clear. Be exciting.
In their effort to be as precise and scientific as possible, many mechanism of action videos seem, well, mechanical. And that can undercut what is truly unique and exciting about your product. Though physicians are looking for scientific detail and need to understand how your MOA operates, maybe even at a cellular or molecular level, don’t let it get bogged down by too much information—let a detail aid do that job. Think about how you can simplify your MOA story to communicate effectively while moving at a faster pace.
Tell a compelling story
Of course, House has one big advantage: a ticking clock, life or death plotline that brings excitement to the animation. While you can’t go that far, you can tap into an essential ingredient of any great story: human emotion. What challenges are patients facing, and how will your product help to improve their lives? The more you can work a human narrative into your video, the more exciting your MOA will be.
Choose talent over technology
These days, 3D animation is all the rage. And while animators love to stress their knowledge of hot new technology, don’t forget what’s most important: the quality of the animator’s work itself. Does it capture the human anatomy in a way you’ve never seen before? Does it invoke positive feelings? Anybody can learn how to use technology, but not everyone has a captivating animation style.
Of course, the most riveting MOAs are truly unique in some way, supported by strong clinical data. Just remember to keep your audience in mind—an audience who wants to be convinced, not put to sleep.
Tod Brubaker is an associate creative director / copywriter at Seidler Bernstein. He has extensive experience in general consumer and medical B2B advertising and communications. Tod’s work has won numerous industry awards, including Cannes, Addy, Rx Club, and top honors for print from the Johnson & Johnson James E. Burke Marketing Excellence Awards.
