The appeal of cartoon marketing lies in its high communicative power and the ease with which it can generate empathy among users.
Empathy is an important keyword in the healthcare and medical industries, and many cartoons focus on patients suffering from illnesses and their families.
Many medical comics exist as entertaining and inspiring works. Such methods of creating emotion are very effective for marketing.
This article will provide several examples of the use of cartoon marketing in the healthcare/medical industry.
Example of use on a Web site
Communicating about the disease through cartoons
Reference URL: https://your-comics.com/fr/reference/bande-dessinee-medicale-158.html
These cartoons present patients suffering from illnesses. In France, these “medical cartoons” are called “médecine graphique” and the name has been adopted throughout the industry.
This “médecine graphique” has developed in France since the 1980s. Most of the pieces tell the story of the life of a patient suffering from a sexual illness and living with it.
The “Médecine graphique” has two advantages for patients. First, they can find commonalities with other patients, and empathize with them, thereby easing their emotional burden. Second, they can communicate their symptoms through their artwork rather than words. By simply showing the doctor a piece of artwork with the same symptoms as his or her own, the doctor can understand what the patient is trying to convey.
Explanation of the Pill
Reference URL: https://jlc.tokyo/examination/10.html
This cartoon is an introduction to the pill published by the Jasmine Ladies Clinic.
The manga proceeds with the protagonist explaining the advantages of the pill while consulting with a friend. It also discusses the disadvantages and ends with the protagonist going to the hospital to get the pill.
The second half of the cartoon specifically explains how to obtain the pill and how much it costs, targeting people who want to be knowledgeable about the pill.
Explanation of sexually transmitted diseases
Reference URL: https://jlc.tokyo/examination/09.html
This cartoon, also published by the Jasmine Ladies Clinic, is an introductory cartoon about sexually transmitted diseases.
In the manga storyline, the protagonist is in a hospital where a doctor explains about sexually transmitted diseases. At first it is suggested that the protagonist has no reaction to the sexually transmitted disease, but then the relationship with the doctor changes and the story progresses.
The second half of the cartoon provides more information about STDs, explaining their characteristics and risks.
STDs are delicate issues, and many people do not know whom to consult. In this comic strip, the consultants and doctors are made into characters, which has the effect of lowering the psychological hurdle and making patients feel that they, too, should consult with a doctor.
Description of the current status of HIV
Reference URL: https://www.statnews.com/2018/04/26/using-comics-in-medicine/
The above cartoon is a graphic medicine on HIV.
In the comic book story, the protagonist is examined by a doctor and is instructed to take a good rest. The protagonist obeys the doctor’s words, leaves the hospital room that day, and visits again the next day for a checkup.
The doctor then guides the protagonist to a private HIV clinical room.
The last panel of the cartoon depicts the number of deaths due to HIV and the world’s perception of it.
The second half of the cartoon tells the story of an essay on the experience of the HIV crisis in the United States.
In this cartoon, the author has packed the most important message he wants to convey within the limited space of four panels. That is that many patients do not know about HIV until they first learn about it.
Through this cartoon, the message is conveyed to those who are considering the possibility that they themselves may be infected with HIV: “Not everyone has the knowledge from the beginning.
Dealing with Fabry’s Disease
Reference URL: https://www.fabryconnect.jp/comic/comic01.html
This cartoon is about how to deal with Fabry’s disease.
The protagonist is struggling with dealing with an incurable disease designated Fabry’s disease.
In the manga story, the main character has suffered from pain in his limbs and other symptoms since childhood, but the hospital could not identify it, only diagnosing it as nerve pain.
In adulthood, the protagonist is diagnosed with Fabry’s disease during a physical examination, the disease is explained to him, and he is reassured that there is a cure.
The cartoon depicts the process from the time of diagnosis to the discovery of the disease, explaining Fabry’s disease, which is generally not well known, and describing the “anxiety of the patient.
For people with the same symptoms, the cartoon is expected to lead to early detection of Fabry’s disease and to help relatives of patients better understand the disease.
East Japan Medicom Corporation PR Cartoon
Reference URL: https://jobmanga.com/manga/e-medicom/
This manga is a PR manga for job hunters published by East Japan Medicom Co.
In the story of the manga, the main character is a woman who wanted to become a doctor as a child but failed, but still wanted to work in the medical field and joined East Japan Medicom Corporation.
In the course of his work, the protagonist encounters a “bitter person” and is troubled, but with the advice of his boss, he finds ways to improve himself and succeeds in gaining the trust of his clients.
This cartoon describes the company and the type of human resources it is looking for, and is designed to help job hunters
The company serves to convey the image of East Japan MEDCOM Corporation to the
In many companies, gaps in employment can lead to turnover, which can also be prevented.
Examples of use in SNS
Introduction to Nursing Homes
This manga is a manga adaptation of the “Encounter” episode, the best work of the “Kanagawa Inspiring Care Award”.
The manga story tells of the existence of a small-scale multifunctional nursing home care office (gan-takki) and the episodes in which the emotional burden of caregiving is alleviated by it.
The protagonist’s husband suffered a stroke and, after recovering, developed severe higher brain dysfunction.
Later, although the protagonist’s family was troubled by her care, the use of the geriatric machine helped the protagonist return to the rhythm of her life, giving her mental comfort and making her husband smile more.
Eventually, the husband passes away, but the family expresses gratitude that their encounter with Gedatsuki allowed them to spend their last hours in peace.
The manga focuses on the current state of geriatric nursing, a story that will resonate with readers who are also struggling with nursing.
The cartoon also has the effect of lowering the psychological hurdle for many people who in recent years have resisted the idea of institutionalizing their families.
Description of Dentist
This cartoon about dental examinations won a special award at the 4th Medical Manga Awards.
The cartoon story tells how dental hygienists can better understand their patients, leading to continued regular checkups.
The main character is a female dental hygienist, who is a patient of what
We have the ability to predict whether they will come for a checkup once.
At first, the protagonist expected that male patients would only come in for up to two checkups, but in fact they came in for a third regular checkup.
This will help the protagonist understand that patient involvement will lead to continued regular checkups.
While patients are usually the main characters in regular comic book marketing, this comic book features a dental hygienist as the main character and incorporates a “superpower” element that is not often used.
We take a different approach than conventional methods to raise awareness on the part of patients and dental hygienists while pursuing the fun of cartooning.
Timing of dental examinations
This cartoon about the timing of dental checkups won a category award at the Medical Manga Awards.
The cartoon story conveys the importance of taking even children for dental checkups as early as possible.
In a conversation with a mother friend, the protagonist learns that her friend’s child has already gone for a dental checkup and decides to take her own child as well.
The protagonist does not feed his child sweets and thinks he brushes his teeth properly, but a dental checkup reveals that his front teeth are still stained.
The dentist taught him how to hold the toothbrush and the child’s teeth are now clean.
This cartoon describes the timing of dental checkups for children, but also conveys the importance of regular checkups.
Explanation of end-of-life care
Reference URL: https://iryo-manga.city.yokohama.lg.jp/2022/comic/ep2
This manga about end-of-life care won the grand prize of the Medical Manga Award.
In the manga’s story, the protagonist’s mother is elderly and develops dementia, and the house
The situation is such that the tribe is no longer recognizable.
However, the protagonist’s father is said to be jovial and the couple gets along well.
One day, the protagonist’s mother contracted aspiration pneumonia, and the family began preparing for “end-of-life care.
The family is able to spend their last hours peacefully, and the protagonist’s mother expresses her gratitude to the family shortly before her death.
The cartoon depicts a family facing “end-of-life care,” and it conveys to the reader the anguish and gratitude of the entire family as they all face “end-of-life care.”
End-of-life care” in the medical field is difficult to understand through actual experience, and some aspects cannot be conveyed in words alone. By conveying it in an easy-to-understand manner through cartoons, we are able to evoke empathy in our readers.
summary
Medical manga is a growing trend in use in the healthcare and medical industries, with “medical x manga” initiatives underway.
Cartoons are effective in promoting understanding of the disease and the patient because they allow readers to become emotionally involved.
Communicating information through cartoons is effective because many people need to be involved in order to obtain accurate information about the disease.
Overseas, medical cartoons are known as “médecine graphique” and are being developed in large numbers.
Japanese medical manga will also gain recognition and further development outside of Japan.
We will continue to pay attention to the trend of medical manga in Japan.
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