Dental Magazines
Creative direction, design, and content strategy for Dear Doctor Magazine and a family of branded dental publications reaching millions of patients nationwide.
The Challenge
Dentistry had an image problem. Patients feared the dentist, didn't understand their treatment options, and had no trusted resource for oral health education. Dental practices had no compelling way to stand out — or to build a relationship with patients before they even sat in the chair.
The challenge was to create a publication that felt as polished and credible as a national consumer magazine, while also serving as a personalized marketing vehicle for the individual dentist.
The Solution
We created Dear Doctor Magazine — the nation's first dental patient education magazine with a uniquely brilliant twist: local dentists and dental offices could be featured alongside a celebrity cover model. Each issue was customized with the dentist's name, photo, and practice information, then distributed directly in their office and throughout their local area.
The result was something no dental practice had ever had before, a magazine-quality publication that made the dentist look like a celebrity. Patients picked it up, read it cover to cover, and walked into appointments already educated and already trusting their doctor.
Over 11 years we produced 40 issues of Dear Doctor Magazine, covering every aspect of dentistry. We became the nation's leader in dental patient education. That success led other major dental brands to commission their own branded magazines — licensing and repackaging our content for their networks:
- Coast Dental Magazine — branded for one of the largest dental group practices in the Southeast
- Teeth X-press Magazine — a high-energy consumer publication for Biohorizons a leading manufacturer of Dental Implants
- Dental Associates Magazine — a premium branded publication for a regional multi-practice group
Results
Dear Doctor Magaizine became the gold standard for dental patient education print. Dentists embraced the celebrity co-branding concept — for many, it was the most effective marketing tool they had ever used. The magazine built genuine loyalty between practices and their patients, while establishing Dear Doctor as the most trusted name in dental publishing.
The branded magazine model opened an entirely new revenue stream — licensing our content to major dental organizations nationwide.
"We gave every dentist in America the chance to look like a celebrity. Their patients picked up the magazine, read it in the waiting room, and walked in already trusting their doctor. That's the power of great design meeting a great idea."
Inside Dear Doctor Magazine
