Today is the day. No, not Election Day. I mean yes, that’s important.
But today is the day that political ads come to an end.
It’s like the opposite of Game 5 of the World Series a couple weeks ago. The Dodgers overcame a 5-run deficit to beat the Yankees 7-6 and become world champions.
And while that’s great in the moment (if you’re a Dodgers fan), there’s a bittersweet feeling upon the conclusion of the World Series: baseball is now over for 6 months.
But there’s exactly NOTHING bittersweet about being on the final day of the election cycle. We’re finally escaping the advertising onslaught of 30-second doomsday dissertations about open borders, billionaire tax cuts, boys in girls bathrooms and “reproductive rights.”
Regardless of which “team” you’re on, the in-your-face, “America will end if _______” messaging is exhausting. Distracting. Depressing.
But it’s also over. Today. Election Day. The day of political ad relief.
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Folks have different opinions about why LASIK volume has trended down in a lot of areas. Some point to the economy. Others say it’s negative press. Probably some truth there.
My hot take is that to some extent, the plethora of “It’s the End of the World as we Know It” ads / posts / messages has a lot of folks paralyzed to make moves.
You see it in other industries – construction, car sales, luxury spending. All slowing down while people “Wait and see” what’s going to happen with this consequential election. Same is happening on the LASIK side.
Does that mean LASIK is gonna bounce back tomorrow? Not necessarily.
But hopefully in the next 24 hours, we’ll know who the president is. And over the next week, everyone will see that the world keeps spinning, America keeps rocking, and life goes on. (Thankfully without a scary political ad every time your favorite TV show hits a commercial break.)
So per usual, T-Cole is optimistic.
The future is myopically bright. And you hold the keys to the clarity kingdom.
Every day, someone turns 18 and needs services. Our reliance on devices means we’re seeing a massive increase in Myopia, which affects half of young adults in the US. Twice as many as 50 years ago and over 40% of the population.
On top of that, you now have a number of fantastic solutions beyond LASIK that you can present to patients. SMILE, EVO, RLE and the LAL are all gaining in popularity among consumers.
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You have a big opportunity to close out the year strong and start next year with a bang. But it takes creativity, perseverance and a willingness to set yourself apart in your market.
There’s a big marketing component to that. Staff coaching / development also plays a huge role. Now is the time to assess what resources you have for both, and determine what else you need in order to fortify your mission going into the new year.
And as you’re making your game plan for 2025, say a prayer of thanks that election ads are no longer infecting your prospective patients, or your team.
Let’s get out there and do the thing.
– Troy “Election Ad-Free” Cole