Parkwest Medical Center's exceptional quality of care was not fully reflected in the hospital's target audience preference data.
The discrepancy was caused, in part, by an old facility that showed some signs of wear, and in part by a lingering negative image which developed under a previous ownership years before.
Both factors became much more important with the announcement of a new hospital – part of a system with a record of lavish marketing communications spending – less than ten minutes away. A brand new hospital with a much bigger advertising budget could be a significant threat to Parkwest.
We developed a campaign focusing on patient outcomes and featuring patient testimonials. The power of the simple visuals and the strength of the testimonials created awareness and recall far beyond the normal level attainable with Parkwest's conservative marketing communications budget.
The TV, print and outdoor campaign helped Parkwest maintain patient volumes virtually unchanged and retain staff with almost no losses when the new competitive hospital opened.