RACGP
A communication health check
When Australians need medical advice their first stop is generally their GP. General Practice is Australia’s largest and most trusted medical specialty, and a fundamental part of what makes our healthcare system truly world-class. There are over 40,000 GPs in Australia, and the vast majority of them are members of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners. As the voice of the profession, communication is fundamental to almost every aspect of the RACGP’s work. Which is why they engaged us to develop a distinctive, easy-to-use brand voice that could be applied across the organisation.
The examination
We found the RACGP’s existing writing to be in reasonably good health. But it was often overly formal, longwinded and, at times, lacking in warmth. With so many communications, and so many content creators, the tone of communications varied widely from piece to piece. For an audience that’s highly educated but time poor, the writing wasn’t always hitting the mark. What was needed was a distinct writing style that could cut through with clarity – without dumbing down important information. But it needed personality too – a tone that could stand apart from the writing of the broader medical industry and reflect the human focus of the profession.
The prescription
We created a unique tone inspired by three personality traits: Considered, Connected and Confident. Together the traits capture the spirit of a great GP – someone who shows empathy and humility, who makes every word count, while being assuring and assured. The tone is authoritative, but accessible. Warm, but professional. With an intelligence that you’d expect from a peak medical body.
Epilogue
We created a practical set of guidelines and showed the RACGP’s people how to bring the voice to life through a series of training sessions. The voice has been applied to webpages, member renewal campaigns, eDMs, partnership presentations and more.
“The new RACGP brand voice has made our member communications more accessible and to the point. It’s instilled confidence in people who aren’t natural writers by enabling them to write like they speak, making the writing process easier and less intimidating.”
