Smart Hospital Sponsorships Lead to Community Engagement

I recently ran a road race sponsored by a local hospital. The organization is small and I hadn't noticed them sponsoring any events in the past, so it was nice to see them taking a positive step in the direction of community engagement.

The hospital, however, made some rookie mistakes in the lead-up to the event and on race day by missing opportunities to promote positive brand awareness.

It did not disseminate health information to participants before the event, nor did it have a large brand presence on the day, other than a few small signs and their logo on participant T-shirts.

Since sponsorship often comes with a cost, it's critical that hospital marketers take advantage of all possibilities that effectively communicate an organization's brand and mission.

I've been following three hospitals that have done sponsorship right.

Cohen Children's sponsors mall soft-play area
Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York recently sponsored a new soft play area at a nearby shopping center to help share wellness tips and to build its brand awareness in the community.

"Being a hospital, we have to figure out where we stand on wellness and prevention," Cohen Children's Executive Director Kevin McGeachy said in a media release. "It would be nice if we could close the hospital because we're so great at preventing illness. This sponsorship not only helps our brand because kids then associate our name with fun, but it gives us a continuous means of outreach and wellness education."

This sponsorship succeeds where the hospital sponsoring my race failed because leadership really thought out all the outreach opportunities. In addition to having its logo on display throughout the area, the medical center is conducting outreach events, such as a medical Build-A-Bear workshop, car seat safety information, and other health-related talks.

"I see this as a great way for us to leverage our brand and to achieve our community outreach goals," McGeachy said. "If it was just a play area with no opportunity for us to do education and prevention, I'm not sure I would have been interested. This play area gives us high, high visibility."

Sponsoring a children's play area or other child-friendly location is a strategy that most marketers can translate to their organization's branding plan. It's an effective way to reach the most sought-after target group: the healthcare decision maker.

Union Hospital sponsors chocolate fair
New Philadelphia, PA's Union Hospital Auxiliary is sponsoring the 14th annual Chocolate Love A'fair on February 2. The event features local chefs, bakers, and chocolatiers and their chocolate creations, all available for guests to sample after the $12 entry fee.

The event's popularity has been growing over the years and for the first time has moved to a larger arena to accommodate higher guest volume.

Sponsoring a popular food tasting event is an easy community outreach opportunity for hospitals. Not only do you introduce the attendees to your brand, but you can also disseminate healthy eating information before, during, and after the event.

And while a chocolate fair might not sound like the best place to talk about healthy eating, it's an opportunity to discuss the benefits of dark chocolate and portion control. Though since it's an all-you-can-eat event, attendees can use what they learned starting on the next day.

French Hospital Medical Center sponsors marathon
Despite the outreach opportunities the sponsoring hospital missed at my road race, athletic events are the perfect outreach event for healthcare organizations. All participants are already health-minded and eager to learn more.

For the second year, French Hospital will be the official sponsor and medical provider for the San Luis Obispo Marathon, Half Marathon, and 5K.

"We rest easy knowing that should something happen out on the course, our participants are in good hands with the French Hospital staff," said Heather Hellman, SLO Marathon event director, in a media release.

The hospital is planning on giving lectures after each of the three races on about nutrition and diabetes prevention, cardiovascular health, and cancer prevention and resources.