We seized a rare opportunity to explain the nature of this organization’s work. Most people didn’t know that Zdravotní klaun’s focus in the field is very serious, their duties range from a demanding process of recruiting new “clowns”, mandatory schooling, or teaching at medical universities.
The anniversary became the perfect starting point for this project, as we sent all of the clowns to the hospitals. This time, though, their mission was to cheer up the staff instead of the patients, with a symbolic 20 minutes of laughter, with each minute representing a year of the organization’s existence. In just one day, 251 wards in 62 hospitals were visited by 86 clowns. Until the last minute, we had no idea if this “marathon” would even happen. Due to the pandemic, our fear was rational, but ultimately unfounded, since it all worked out! Our next linking campaign focused on media relations, as we gave the media exclusive topics through which they could demonstrate the competence and professionalism of the organization’s clowns.