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The
Chiropractic Awareness Council of Ontario (CAC) is determined to be a positive
force in helping to create that change. CAC has recently entered into an
agreement with Open magazine for a series of progressive co-op ads in
that publication.
The past
thirty years have seen a distinct attempt by some leaders within chiropractic
to leverage our significant success in helping people with spinal pain into a
raison d'être for the entire profession. From educational programs
focused on the limited scope of care of spinal therapeutics, to professional ad
campaigns centered around sore backs, the push to position ourselves as
"spinal specialists" has cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, yet
failed to move the profession forward on any meaningful level.
The mantra of "bring 'em in for back pain and educate them on the big
picture once they're in" has been repeated ad nauseum. But has it worked? It could be easily
argued that today's chiropractor is working harder but generating less income
than he/she could have in the 70's. As well, the fight for the back pain
market has become much more congested. If we wish to move beyond our current
circumstance, then, it is obvious that something has to change.
Open, (www.openmagazine.ca) was chosen because of its growing circulation as well
as its broad-based appeal to our target audience of "decision-makers"
between the ages of 25-50. The campaign is designed to help reposition
the public's awareness of chiropractic to a more broad-based perspective than
it currently has. While not aimed at diminishing the effect we have
on all types of spinal-centered suffering, the goal is to create an awareness
that chiropractic care has much more to offer than relief of acute pain
syndromes.
When the
first CAC advertorial – titled 10 Myths
About Chiropractic – created an increase in traffic to the CAC public
information website (http://www.CAC4Life.com ), we realized we were on to something.
The concept of this piece was simple; address the most common misunderstandings
regarding chiropractic, and share the truth. The second ad, Help for a Sick Society, will be
introduced in the spring issue of Open. At the heart of this piece
involves a straight-forward discussion that the status quo in health care is failing miserably, while positioning
the logic that chiropractic is a viable alternative.
Over the next year, CAC-Ontario will present various health topics, in
advertorial format, that will set the stage for the long overdue and much
required task of repositioning chiropractic in a manner that goes far beyond
spinal "conditions", that is to say, the type of practice that the
majority of the profession has an affinity for. If we wish to truly meet
our potential of giving our highest level of service to our communities, we
need to ensure those communities truly understand what that potential is.
The CAC-Ontario co-op ad campaign is a step in the right direction to making
this wish a reality.
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