The Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia launches awareness campaign via The Hallway

The Hallway has launched an online, content-led campaign for the Royal College of Pathologists of Australasia (RCPA), to increase awareness of the importance of pathology in medicine.

To maximise the impact of the campaign The Hallway is mobilising the 2,300 members of RCPA to endorse and propagate the message, replacing traditional media with vested advocates.

WATCH THE 3 SPOTS HERE

Phase one of the campaign, consists of three 60 second films that propose somewhat surreal answers to the question “if pathologists didn’t exist, where would the answers come from?”. In phase 2, an interactive film experiences invites viewers to experience and share a variety of equally odd alternative answers to the same vital question.

Says Simon Lee, creative partner at The Hallway: “Very few people realise just how important pathology is, but truth be told, without pathology, medical diagnosis would be about as scientific as tossing a coin or asking the tea leaves for answers.”

Featuring acclaimed actor Damon Gameau (Howzat!, Underbelly, Puberty Blues) and directed by Adam Anthony, the films cast a comic light on a traditionally dry subject. With a hint of “Monty Pythonesque” parody, conventional pathology procedures are replaced by the “Tickleoscopy”, “Blowopsy” and the particularly surreal “Emutopsy”.

Says Lee: “We knew that to engage an audience around pathology, we had to do more than simply inform, we had to entertain.”

With no media budget with which to “buy” an audience, The Hallway utilised the 2,300 members of the RCPA as their initial channel to reach the general public.

Says Lee: “The RCPA’s members are of course pathology’s biggest advocates and this campaign gives them a much needed easy answer to what do you do, and why is it important? – they just share the URL.”

The campaign aims to harness the power of social media to generate discussion and raise awareness of the critical role that pathology plays in everyone’s lives. Ultimately, by helping Australians understand its importance, it is hoped that pressure will be put on politicians and public servants to support existing levels of funding, which are at risk of being cut.

Says Professor Yee Khong, president of the RCPA: “Pathology largely takes place behind the scenes, so it’s still relatively unknown and its importance is not widely understood by the public. This is a real concern as there is a serious message behind our campaign. There is currently a critical shortage of pathologists across Australia, a trend which if left unchecked could jeopardise the profession’s high standards.”

The films launched on November 28.