A few days ago, I was in Chandigarh. While travelling through the city, something caught my attention. I noticed three or four auto-rickshaws carrying the exact same advertisement for an IVF clinic.
“Pay for 1 IVF and Get 4.”
The message stayed with me long after I had passed those autos. Not because it was a great campaign but because it left me wondering: Have we started marketing hope like a retail sale?
Healthcare marketing has evolved tremendously over the years. We use data, technology, creativity and strategy to make treatments more accessible and understandable. But somewhere along the way, we seem to have forgotten one important thing – healthcare is built on trust before transactions.
An IVF cycle is not a shampoo bottle, a smartphone or a festive clothing offer. Behind every IVF consultation is a couple carrying years of hope, anxiety, financial planning and emotional resilience. The language we choose should acknowledge those emotions, not reduce them to a promotional offer.
The offer itself may genuinely benefit patients. There is nothing wrong with making fertility treatment more affordable or providing multiple IVF attempts under a single package. The concern lies in how we communicate it.
Imagine the same offering presented differently:
“Because every dream deserves more than one chance.”
Or,
“We’re extending your hope—up to four IVF cycles with one treatment plan.”
The benefit remains exactly the same, but the emotion changes completely. As healthcare marketers, we have a responsibility that goes beyond generating enquiries. Our words shape perception, build credibility and influence some of the most important decisions in a person’s life.
If we continue to market IVF like a festive sale, what’s next? “Diwali IVF Bonanza” or “Valentine’s Week IVF Discounts”? Healthcare deserves better. Patients deserve better. Let’s make treatments accessible but let’s communicate them with the dignity, empathy and responsibility they deserve. Because in healthcare, we are not selling a service.
We are protecting someone’s hope.
