Creating big jumps in brand awareness

Client

A renowned, nationally-ranked academic medical and research health system based in the Los Angeles area and inclusive of two acute care hospitals, more than 40 outpatient facilities, and a medical group practice.

Challenge

The organization made a strategic acquisition of a small community hospital in a targeted geographic area but with a different clinical profile and offerings. That brand identity needed to work within the very different story of a large, high-quality academic medical research center in a way that boosted the long-term viability of both entities and engaged multiple audiences.

Discovery

Movéo needed to identify the precise attitudes and perceptions of the target audiences of both our client and the hospital they acquired. We conducted in-depth market research (1,750 consumers over age 25, primary healthcare decision makers), executive interviews and analyzed the data behind the current service area of the acquisition, such as patient origin, insurance, and competitors’ market share by service line. We also sat on the organization’s integration committee to capture rich anecdotal evidence as well as critical integration updates.

Insight & Strategy

Our research made it clear that a “one size fits all” approach wouldn’t work. Our organization’s doctors were concerned about quality, while community hospital staff was protective of its legacy culture. Their independent doctors (whose support was critical to the acquisition’s success) viewed our organization as a threat to their patient base. At the same time, current patients considered the community hospital a faithful provider and local institution, but openly acknowledged its deficiencies. And here was an opening: each audience stood to gain something with the integration.

We developed a strong value proposition based on the idea of leveraging complementary strengths and created a messaging map tailored to six distinct target audiences. These messages were conveyed through a robust marketing integration plan with the creative theme of “Better Together” to generate positive sentiment and new/renewed consideration.

Results

After the campaign had been in market for a year, on-boarded community hospital staff started to realize the tangible benefits of the new relationship, and it resonated with consumers as well. Familiarity increased from an initial 13% to 27%, with an additional 39% increase in perception of improvement over the previous 12 months.