How Medical Public Information Films Teach Life Science

Given the interconnected nature of public and private health companies, life science marketing often takes a very different approach in the UK than in other countries.

A lot of marketing related to healthcare is undertaken by or commissioned by UK government departments, often taking the form of the Public Information Film.

These PIFs, which were made by the Central Office of Information (COI) from 1946 until 2011 and by several non-profit organisations before and since, convey information in somewhat unique and often shocking ways.

Medical information, in particular, was presented in ways that would provide critical information on how to spot a disease or medical emergency in a way no other media could.

Here are some of the more infamous examples.

1. Rabies Kills

There were several famous adverts about the horrible viral infection rabies, a disease that is almost always fatal once its symptoms start appearing.

The two most famous of these were Rabies Means Death and Rabies Kills.

The first specifically warns against smuggling animals into the UK, because of the risk of spreading rabies, using a familiar tactic of juxtaposing a fairly normal scene with a quite graphic depiction of someone in the latter stages of the disease. It was chilling, disturbing and highly effective.

Another, more straightforward example was Rabies Kills, a simple animation with instructions on what to do if accosted by a stray animal when in a foreign country, with a great transition from the green and white cross associated with a first aid kit to a black Christian cross to symbolise death.

1. Ring A Ring o’ Roses

Familiarity and subversion are highly effective marketing tools, and during the 1990s, the Health Education Authority took full advantage of this to highlight the dangers of childhood diseases if a child is left unvaccinated.

There are several, but the most effective is Ring a Ring o’ Roses, in no small part because of how well-known the original rhyme is and how disturbing the distortion makes it.