Bariatric Campaign Highlights Health, Not Weight

Visuals and testimonials boosted bariatric surgery volumes at one large hospital. The marketing campaign featured the patients' concerns about longevity, their health statistics, and good outcomes.

People are visual—as marketers know better than anyone else. In what other profession do executives spend days choosing the best font to communicate their message, or sleepless nights lying awake worrying about their brand image?

While the importance of visual media has been understood since the days of Don Draper of "Mad Men," its value has continued to increase at the same rate as the size and pixel resolution of our smartphone screens. Even formerly text-based social media like Facebook and Twitter have started to focus on photos, feeling the pressure from Instagram and Pinterest.

So it makes sense that many bariatric surgery campaigns tend to highlight the high-impact visuals they have at their disposal: the almighty before-and-after photos. When done well, those sort of campaigns get results, but for marketers at MedStar Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., simply relying on photos didn't show patients the whole picture.

Highlighting Health Over Dress Size
"One of the bariatric surgery procedures that we perform can actually cure diabetes for some patients, and we are working to communicate that important message. Bariatric surgery is not just about changing the way you look—first and foremost, it's about helping you live a healthier life," says Donna Arbogast, vice president of public affairs and marketing for the 777-bed hospital, which is part of the MedStar Health system. "When we evaluate which services to build into our marketing plans, we look for those that meet our community's needs as well as those that have a positive bottom-line impact. In the case of bariatric surgery, we meet both criteria."

This message was particularly pertinent in the MedStar Washington service area, where there is a high rate of obesity and, as a result, a high rate of diabetes. Hospital marketers worked with the creative team at advertising agency ab+c to turn their focus on health benefits into a campaign differentiator.

"We knew that people don't only seek bariatric surgery to lose weight; it's just as important that they get healthy," says Maria Stearns, ab+c healthcare team director. "So we wanted to connect the campaign that it's not just your dress size that's important, what's important is that your cholesterol is lower, your blood pressure is lower, and your blood sugar is healthy. These numbers are just as important as your weight or size."

Letting Patients Tell Their Stories
From the get-go, marketers knew they wanted to use patient testimonials in their messaging.

The campaign featured two MedStar patients, Linda and Tyrone, who each had developed significant health issues because of their weight. They were worried about being present for their children and grandchildren. After surgery, both were able to live healthier, more active lives—Linda even completed her first 5K run, with grandchildren cheering her on at the finish line.

"Making the decision to have bariatric surgery is very challenging. People are committing to a six-month preparation process that involves education and a behavior modification program," Arbogast says. "We wanted potential patients to see that this commitment is worth it in the end for many patients, and we wanted to reassure them that they are not alone. Our team is there for them every step of the way."

These patient testimonials helped the campaign's target audience to see themselves in Tyrone and Linda, Stearns says.

"By using a testimonial approach, using real people talking about real issues—their weight and how it impacts their overall health—we hoped the message would be heard," she says.

Achieving Results: Full Education Sessions, Boosted Surgery Volume
MedStar's bariatric campaign initially ran March to July 2014, featuring radio, online, and outdoor ads. Radio helped the campaign reach a wide geographic area, while online ads were more targeted to reach the target demographic of adults over age 45. Backlit mall posters were also used.

"The radio effort was complemented by a multi-platform online strategy that utilized both display and video ad units designed to build further understanding and interest, and to provide a direct link to the bariatric campaign-landing page," says Bob Cerasoli, president of CerasoliStafford Media Management, who made the campaign's ad buys. "The online media mix included broad-reach platforms complemented by behavioral and contextual targeting to reach prospects that were actively seeking weight loss information, and retargeting efforts to re-engage those with prior exposure to Medstar Washington Hospital Center's bariatric messaging."

In the first two weeks of the campaign, MedStar Washington filled its education sessions two months out and had to add additional sessions to accommodate the interest. Since the campaign launch's, nearly 200 patients have either had bariatric surgery, scheduled a surgery, or are in the preparation process.

The campaign was so successful that the hospital decided to run a second leg in March 2015. Marketers plan to build on the momentum generated from Linda and Tyrone's 15- and 60-second testimonials.

"We plan to increase the number of videotaped testimonials in the coming months, and also to expand our use of social media and to continually improve the content on our website to help people better understand what bariatric surgery is and the potential for it to be life-changing," Arbogast says.