Catholic Health
Situation
Catholic Health's core business and primary revenue center is acute care through four hospitals. This business is also supported by over 62 imaging, laboratory, rehabilitation and primary care facilities throughout the region.
CH was facing increased advertising pressure from competitor Kaleida Health. Kaleida was promoting a number of different service messages at high reach and frequency levels, not the least of which was a highly recognized campaign for stroke treatment.
In addition, CH research results indicated gaps in the public and internal perceptions about the services the system offered. Existing consumer perceptions held that Catholic hospitals were strong on soft skills like caring and ministry, but weaker on quality of care and technological capabilities. This despite the fact that CH had recently invested $100 million in partnership with Siemens technology to provide the latest in electronic medical records, imaging, ER, and clinical path management, making the system one of the most technologically advanced in the region.
CH needed to tell its overall capability story. Also, individual service-line development, in areas such as Stroke, Cardiology, and Orthopedics among others, presented an opportunity for CH to establish additional strong identity in the Buffalo market.
Travers Collins & Company was charged with reinforcing and elevating the perception of Catholic Health's services, staff and technological excellence.
Three key objectives were established for the program:
- Build consumer and physician confidence in CH capability and technology while reinforcing ministry of care.
- Brand service line capabilities, with a concentration on stroke and cardiac care, as specific CH areas of excellence and community involvement.
- Create specific awareness of CH capabilities within the Western New York Catholic community.
Execution
TCC assessed competitive messages and research available from Cathloic Health. CH needed to find a way to catch key audiences' attention and break through the cluttered, look-alike creative of the healthcare marketplace. The resultant "See Us in a New Light" campaign:
- Educates target audiences about the system's technological and medical capabilities, while reinforcing the familiar and differentiating ministry of caring.
- Tells the Catholic Health story in a lighthearted, approachable manner.
- Is built upon the concept, "What you didn't know about CH".
- Open space and bright color palette give executions a much different appearance than the traditional "smiling patients and nurses" treatments.
- Is executed in corporate umbrella, stroke, cardiac, orthopedic, and bariatric service line formats.
Results
Campaigns were run for Stroke and Cardiac service lines. Admissions to the hospital's stroke centers have shown double digit increases. Inquiries and web hits have increased markedly for the system's Cardiac program. Overall recognition in the community has also increased significantly.
CH plans to continue, and if possible expand the campaign in 2009.
