PR's Rule One—check facts when editing copy—is becoming a forgotten art in the Internet environment. Failure to follow such basic communications principles can have embarrassing and widely publicized results as the Minnesota Democratic Party recently discovered, and was validated in an AP report that was picked up by CBS News and other media outlets.
The print ad for Covenant HealthCare's features a photo of a smiling woman—but her entire left side is blurred, making her features indistinguishable. Her right side is crystal clear. "Wouldn't you want your surgeon to see in HD? Precision matters," the copy reads.
The Saginaw, MI-based health system launched the campaign in May to promote its da Vinci High Definition Robotic Assisted Surgery—the region's first. The health system worked with Detroit-based agency Brogan & Partners to create the integrated campaign, which consists of TV, radio, print, and outdoor elements.
"Brogan & Partners developed a different approach for the da Vinci promotion, focusing on the new high definition feature that is unique in this market," Covenant's Director of Marketing Larry Daly said in a release. "The resulting ad campaign, Precision Matters, has really hit home with our patients and target audiences, as reflected in the high number of da Vinci surgeries."
The ad targets women ages 35-64 and highlights the importance of high definition—the da Vinci technology alone isn't new to area hospitals, after all. So far the campaign has proven successful, with 50 new surgeries scheduled in the first two months since the campaign launched.
"Our strategy was to set Covenant apart from the competition in the minds of consumers with a clear focus on the superior competitive differentiator," said Brogan & Partners Healthcare Division Partner and Director Julia Shea in the release. "We thought the HD benefit of Covenant's new robotic assisted surgery would resonate well with the public, partly due to the increasing awareness and popularity of HDTV."
Groups of all stripes are blitzing lawmakers to shape a trillion-dollar healthcare overhaul that would reach into every business and every home in the country. In the lobbying frenzy, many longtime allies are divided, with fault lines emerging where the bills' provisions would cost them money. With the legislation now held up until after Congress's August recess, interest groups are treating the next few weeks as a critical time for rank-and-file members to try to snare one-on-one meetings with lawmakers back in their home districts, says the Wall Street Journal.
President Obama continues to urge Democratic senators to persevere in trying to get a bipartisan deal on healthcare, but left open the possibility that they might have to pass a bill with only Democratic votes if Republicans stood in the way. At lunch with Democrats at the White House, Obama vowed to respond to Republican attacks on his plan, which aims to guarantee insurance for all Americans while slowing the explosive growth of health costs.
Groups on all sides of the health reform debate are pouring tens of millions of dollars into advertising campaigns designed to push the cause forward, slow it down, or stop it. Drugmakers, labor unions, both national political parties, and health insurance companies are all weighing in with significant ad buys. Nationwide, more than $52 million has been spent this year on healthcare reform-related ads, according to the Campaign Media Analysis Group.
White House officials have begun a two-pronged Internet campaign, geared toward reenergizing Web-savvy allies who backed Obama last year and whose support will be critical in getting the healthcare initiative through Congress. The new engagement by the White House comes at a time when Democratic lawmakers are fielding attacks on talk radio, in cyberspace, and at appearances in their home districts.