Advertising hospice care services.

Area of Science:

• Marketing and Communication Studies
• End-of-Life Care Research
• Sociology of Death and Dying

Background:

• Hospice services are increasingly advertised, yet the commercialization of death often faces public skepticism.
• Previous research has largely overlooked the specific content and strategies employed in hospice advertising.
• Understanding hospice advertising is crucial for addressing public perceptions and improving end-of-life care communication.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantitatively and qualitatively analyze the content of American hospice television commercials.
• To identify the key strategies used by hospices to create positive audience perceptions.
• To explore how hospice advertising frames the experiences of dying and end-of-life care.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of 105 American hospice television commercials.
• Quantitative assessment of advertising elements and themes.
• Qualitative interpretation of the messaging and emotional appeals used.

Main Results:

• Hospices employed four primary strategies: framing care as salvation, providing empowerment, emphasizing quality service, and appealing to values like comfort and support.
• Advertisements utilized affective advertising techniques to generate emotional connections, positioning hospices as solutions for challenging life circumstances.
• The analysis revealed that commercials successfully represented both the dying process and hospice care as potentially positive and marketable experiences.

Conclusions:

• Hospice advertising effectively uses emotional appeals to reframe the perception of death and dying.
• Marketing strategies can mitigate negative reactions to the commercialization of end-of-life services.
• The study highlights the potential for positive and marketable portrayals of hospice care.