Research shows men are more than twice as likely as women to avoid medical treatments and exams. For a national urgent care provider like AFC, that was more than just a statistic — it was an entire customer segment going untapped.
Most men already know they should go to the doctor more. The challenge was motivation. Finding a way to call out the avoidance without shaming it, and make walking into an urgent care clinic feel like the obvious move instead of the reluctant one.
What emerged was “Man Up” — a campaign built on the idea that taking care of your health is a form of strength, not an admission of weakness.
Instead of leading with fear or guilt, the message reframed the decision itself. Getting checked out isn’t what you do when something’s wrong; it’s what a man who takes care of his life and the people in it just does. The campaign leaned into a tone AFC’s audience would respond to — direct, a little challenging, respectful of the fact that most men already know the stakes and just need a nudge past the avoidance.
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WILLIAM L. KOLESZAR, FORMER CMO AMERICAN FAMILY CARE