Launching a world first

Stuck in the waiting room

Every year, millions of people who need surgery face the same two choices. An NHS waiting list that stretches into the unknown. Or UK private healthcare, at prices most people simply can’t afford.

So, they wait. In pain, in limbo, suffering in silence.

My Medical Gateway saw another way: the world's first marketplace for medical travel, connecting patients to private hospitals in the EU for fast, affordable surgery.

The catch? The business didn't exist yet. No brand, no name recognition, no category conventions to borrow from. Our task was to take it from a blank page to a national launch in under a year.

Differentiating from healthcare

With a new proposition, a new business and a new category to communicate, our ‘enemy’ became Healthcare. It was imperative that we were not mistaken for a healthcare company. And this thinking informed everything we did.

A logo that strongly signals a Gateway.

A website designed to reflect the simplicity, searchability and ease of use of a marketplace offering.

A brand identity and body language that feels fresh, modern, colourful and trustworthy.

A comms campaign that avoids the tired, impersonal approach of cliched men in white coats and ageless silver surfers and instead uses humour to engage and create a human connection.

Selling the old you, not the operation

Our comms started with the question: what are people actually buying? Not surgery. Nobody wants surgery. They want what's on the other side of it - the bike ride, the golf swing, the garden, the job.

That insight became the campaign’s foundation. My Medical Gateway doesn't fix knees and hips. It gives people their lives back.

Cue the evil laugh.

Our campaign "Get back to your wicked self" shows people celebrating getting their bodies back, responding the only honest way they can: with a slow, building, gloriously evil laugh. John on his bike. Sarah on the tee. A sparky, a builder, a gardener, all cackling like Bond villains at the thought of being themselves again.

A wicked start

Starting with a comprehensive paid social media and search campaign, we tested, tested, tested until we were confident in our approach. In-market testing delivered 1.19 million impressions and 34,000 qualified site visits, at just 47p a visit, with click-through rates running at double the industry benchmark. And now the campaign is building across you tube and addressable tv.

Engagement levels are climbing every day, enquiries are growing week on week, and the first patients have already booked their surgery.

Soon, somewhere out there, John will be back on his bike, laughing.