Smart marketing!

Back in – oh, I don’t know… 2011?  2010?  Long ago, when we were embarrassed to not even be able to put up our hands when they were polling audience members about which year they were going (“2011?  2012?”), we went to a Nefesh b’Nefesh “aliyah mega-event.”

It was a great event, with speakers on various topics as well as tables of information about everything from lifts to mortgages to healthcare.  Not much good swag, basically just a couple of NbN pens… and then I spotted these awesome flashing keychains.  I mean, you couldn’t miss them because they were flashing, so without even looking at what table it was or what brochures they were offering, I snagged one.

It’s a pretty cool thing; no visible batteries, just a printed message covered up by what I figure is an ultra-low-powered LCD screen. Whenever it’s placed under light, it begins “flashing”, covering up and revealing the message within. 

The plastic bit that attached the little metal ring to my keychain wore out within the first year, so the keychain was retired to the front of the car, where it has sat, flashing at us, every time we drive anywhere – and even, presumably, when we’re not looking.

Here it is, with the message visible:

 

Like I said, I was oblivious when I picked this thing up; I had no idea what this company was or what it did or anything.  But now… a couple of years later, whenever I search the NbN communities database and glance at the listings for which healthcare providers are available in each community, it jumps out at me every time.  They’re in Ma’alot, as well as Nahariya and Zichron Yaakov; they’re not in Ramat Yishai.

I have no idea what this means for us and our future in healthcare, but I have been reading a lot about how bribes influence medical professionals – even a small gift creates a relationship of indebtedness, in addition to possibly making your company’s name memorable.

So if this is the company we ultimately go with, they will be thrilled to know that their 25-cent investment has paid off big-time.

The funny thing about medical professionals, by the way, that you might think disclosing gifts and corporate ties would make them more honest… but in fact, it makes them more blatant about their favouritism of the sponsoring drug company.  It’s like with full disclosure, all bets are off.  But then, my current reading obsessions are for my main blog and I won’t bore you with them here.  Pop over there to say hi!