Storytelling with video

Diploma is very successful elearning platform that I created in 2005  (and later updated) for Boehringer-Ingelheim, a large pharmaceutical company. It is based on a constructivistic learning model where medical doctors are trained using wireless PDAs to control video patient scenarios.It is all done in an intense group session with interactivity in three directions:

  1. Between the participants when they are discussing the patient scenario
  2. Between the participant and the video patient, since they can ask questions, take tests and decide on diagnosis and treatments and see how the patient reacts.
  3. Between the participants and the lecturer that moderates the event.

So this is a new way of learning, far from the traditional lecturing using slides and one-way communication from the speaker to the audience.

So how do you market this? How can you reach out to and explain this new concept to all the Swedish medical doctors and inspire them to sign up for the training?

Well, Boehringer-Ingelheim used to do it the traditional way; writing about it on their web site, handing out leaflets with text and photos during sales calls and seminars.

But they have a story to tell about this new learning system and video is a very effective tool for telling stories. So I persuaded them to let me produce a 2-minute video enacting a Diploma learning session, watch it here:

It is in Swedish, but there is no dialogue in the video.

This is a low- budget production, simply because we felt that we did not need professional actors and a large crew for this. The point is to tell the story so that the target group, in this case medical doctors, are inspired. The feedback has been very positive already.

Now this video needs to be spread. Their sales reps are using large-format versions in their laptops during sales calls, video banner ads promoting the video are in production for medical web sites and the video will also appear on a number of other web sites in order to make it viral.

Published by

Henrik Ahlén

I am an eHealth Strategist in Stockholm, Sweden I drive eHealth development projects from needs analysis and idea generation to service design and implementation. See my LinkedIn profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mrhenrikahlen

One thought on “Storytelling with video”

  1. I am probably not the person intended to look at this video but I do not think there is so much storytelling in this video. Primarily since it does not reach out to my feelings and I do not understand it(this could be due to not knowing enough about the business or products)

    I looks and feels professional though!

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