I. Communication Challenge

This regional hospital network began facing increased advertising pressure from its competitor, who was promoting a number of service messages at high-reach and frequency levels, including a memorable campaign for stroke treatment. The two systems have almost equal market share in Buffalo.

In addition, research results indicated gaps in the public and internal perceptions about the services Catholic Health (CH) offered. Existing consumer perceptions held that Catholic hospitals were strong on soft skills, like caring and ministry, but weaker on quality of care and technology. CH wanted to tell its overall story and also establish its individual service line areas such as stroke, cardiology and orthopedics. Travers Collins was charged with rebranding the hospital system and elevating the perception of Catholic Health services and technology.

II. Strategy and Execution

In devising its strategy, TC assessed research that CH had shared. CH needed to find a way to catch key audiences’ attention and break through the cluttered, look-alike creative of the local healthcare marketplace. Key objectives were established:

• Build consumer and physician confidence in CH’s capabilities and technology while reinforcing their ministry of care
• Brand service line capabilities such as stroke and cardiac care as specific areas of excellence
• Create specific awareness of CH’s capabilities within the local Catholic community.

The resulting campaign was anchored on the theme line “See us in a new light,” which invited the audience to rethink their perceptions about Catholic healthcare, without losing the sense of compassion that’s synonymous with it. It also:

• Built upon what people didn’t know about CH
• Educated target audiences about the system’s technological capabilities while reinforcing the differentiating ministry of caring
• Told the Catholic Health story in a lighthearted, approachable manner, much different in appearance from the traditional “smiling patients and nurses” treatment

III. Outcome

TC successfully integrated the campaign for CH’s stroke and cardiac service lines. Admissions to the hospitals’ stroke centers reported double-digit increases. Inquiries and web hits increased markedly for the system’s cardiac program, and overall recognition in the community also increased significantly. As a result of this success, CH continued to expand on this campaign in 2009 and 2010.