Well the slogan “Cheat Death” developed by the marketing firm Immortology for the CaroMont Health/Gastonia health-care system hospital that I commented on this past weekend didn’t last long, just shy of one week. The community and media had a quite a lot to say about it, resulting in the hospital announcing they were pulling the tagline and that “Immortology will work with CaroMont to choose another tag line that is clear, motivational and works for the community. No timetable has been set for that to happen.”
Read about it here
And there is apparently more to this story. Turns out the firm Immortology was co-founded by the son of one of the members of the CaroMont Health Board of Trustees and the daughter of the Board Chairman began working at Immortology this past week.
CaroMont spokeswoman Dallas Paddon stated:
“… our professional relationship with Immortology posed no conflict of interest,” she said in an email. “They and other firms were interviewed prior to making a hiring decision. We chose to work with this company based solely on their proven track record in successfully transforming and reviving companies’ brands.”
10 Apr 2013
"Cheat Death" Slogan doesn't last long..
While it is only the appearance of a potential conflict, I think executives at the hospital might have had a little voice in the back of their heads telling them that this might look good to their overseers.
Another dispicable act: Immortology sold Caromont a recycled tagline. Take a look at Immortology’s Capabilities Brochure (dated from January 2013). They used the phrase Cheat Death in their own creed (see page 14).
http://immortologyusa.com/Immortology_FactBook.pdf
Do they deserve another chance? How about a discount for already-been-chewed food?
So what? It was also a headline for Pom fruit juice. Sanjay Gupta’s new book is “Cheating Death”. It was used in the title of an old movie “The Man Who Could Cheat Death” and it’s even used in the line “Chuck Norris doesn’t cheat death, he wins fair and square.” It’s part of the vernacular. No one to my knowledge has ever used it as a tagline for a health movement. Sounds like you’re either a disgruntled employee of this firm or jealous. For a funny read on this whole story read this:
http://thenewyorkcrank.blogspot.com/
Jimmy, I believe your comments were for the post above yours. Thanks also for pointing me to the New York Crank blog. Very interesting as I had not seen that issue raised. As to my thinking, the concept of getting people to take control of their lives, live healthy, eat healthy, exercise etc. and thereby reduce ones risks for chronic diseases is the right approach, just don’t agree with the chosen slogan based on behavioral principals. In fact the Chuck Norris slogan you mention is the best one, and what I was trying to point out. You cannot “Cheat Death” only live healthier “fair and square”. You have to do the work, no cheating involved…