The multibillion-dollar dream world of Barbie has reached healthcare.
In homage to the doll’s evolution in the blockbuster film, which took theaters by storm last Friday, Zocdoc has launched an initiative aimed at encouraging more women to go in for OB-GYN visits.
The company will donate $25 to UCLA Mattel Children’s Hospital for every OB-GYN appointment booked on its platform through August 21, up to $10 million total. The hospital, named after Barbie’s toy maker Mattel, works with the Mattel Children’s Foundation to support the health of children. Mattel has donated millions to the children’s hospital over the years.
“This movie is clearly striking a chord with girls and women of all ages, and we found Barbie’s ultimate act of self-care to be triumphant and empowering,” Jessica Aptman, Zocdoc’s chief communications officer, said in a press release. “As a company with a mission to give power to the patient, Zocdoc wanted to leverage this cultural moment to inspire other women to also joyfully embrace their health.”
To spread the word, Zocdoc will be in touch with many of its existing users via email and will be amplifying the opportunity to participate in the campaign through its social channels.
The hospital was chosen in part for its connection to the film, which inspired the campaign, but more so because the hospital does “tremendous work to deliver incredible care for the children they treat,” Aptman told Fierce Healthcare in an emailed comment. “We also recognize that going to the OB-GYN isn’t typically anyone’s favorite activity, but if patients can book a visit and benefit a worthy cause, that’s a compelling motivator—to be well and to do good," she added.
While women’s health appointments are beginning to rebound since the start of the pandemic, per Zocdoc data, preventive care remains critical, the company said. Breast cancer diagnoses, among others, are likely to rise following a drop-off during the pandemic. And late-stage cervical cancer is also on the rise.
“It can be all too easy for women to delay their own care or turn to unreliable sources like social media for healthcare advice, but actual preventive care has the power to save lives,” Geeta Nayyar, M.D., a Zocdoc advisor, said in the press release. “While going in for an OB-GYN visit isn’t anyone’s favorite activity, it is one of the most effective measures women can take to proactively manage their health.”
In 2015, Zocdoc launched a similar campaign in Austin, Texas, tied to National Women’s Health Week. It donated $25 per booking to a local nonprofit offering resources on breast cancer. “We would love to expand these types of philanthropic booking donation efforts with other healthcare-focused non-profits,” Aptman said in her emailed comment.
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