Minimalist ED Campaign Improves Hospital's Reputation

When Brattleboro (VT) Memorial Hospital renovated its emergency department, marketers not only had to get the word out about new services, they also had to overcome negative word-of-mouth.

The renovation of Brattleboro (VT) Memorial Hospital's emergency department in 2014 gave marketers a chance to rehabilitate the hospital's negative reputation in the local community.

A $7.5 million capital campaign financed an overhaul of how BMH approaches urgent care. The completely rebuilt ED boasts a more efficient registration, easier access, improved patient privacy, larger exam rooms, an aesthetically integrated environment, and an EMS workroom.

Once that work was completed, marketers not only had to get the word out about new services, they also had to overcome negative word-of-mouth that had built up over time.

"The ED often serves as the front door to the hospital and provides a defining brand experience, for better or worse. It is very difficult to change perceptions of an ED through advertising alone," says Dan Dunlop, principal of marketing agency Jennings, which partnered with BHM on the campaign. "The marketing effort has to be accompanied by real change. That was certainly the case with Brattleboro Memorial Hospital. Our hope with this campaign was to pique the interest of local residents, generate talk in the community, and have them reconsider their long-held perceptions of this ED."

Competition and segmentation
In addition to changing community perception, the campaign had to make a dent in their competitor's market share.

"There is competition in the market—Brattleboro is very close to Keene, NH, where Cheshire Medical Center is located," says Nicole Zinn, communications and social media manager for BMH. "There was also a freestanding, independent urgent care clinic coming into Brattleboro which offered convenience as a primary attribute. We wanted to sufficiently communicate news of Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's new ED, high quality providers, myriad improvements, and overall patient-first approach to care, prior to the opening of the freestanding urgent care clinic."

Before the ad campaign began to take shape, Zinn identified three target audiences:

1. Individuals with commercial insurance. "These people have a choice of providers for typical urgent care issues, and it is important they understand the quality care and patient-centered experience they will find in the new ED," she says.
2. People living on the border area of Vermont and New Hampshire. "Brattleboro is a border community—these people have a choice of providers for urgent care and emergency care," Zinn says. "We needed to give them a reason to come to BMH and to overcome any old misperceptions they might hold about the BMH Emergency Department."
3. Local ambulance services. "We wanted them to understand the changes that have taken place in the ED. Two of our local ambulance services are based on the New Hampshire side of the border and may have a tendency to take patients to Cheshire."

Patient-centered campaign
With the goals and direction in place, marketers began crafting the campaign's message and creative elements.

"The first objective was to communicate that it is truly a new day is the ED at BMH—things have changed," Dunlop says. "The changes have been driven by the desire to provide an exceptional patient experience and the highest quality care. At the end of the campaign, we wanted people in the community to know that BMH has transformed its ED and that it now has a patient-friendly culture, incredible new facilities, Dartmouth physicians, and processes that improve the flow of patients through the department."

To convey this message, the design team crafted print, digital, and direct mail pieces using a striking blue background offset with large, white icons depicting various accidents, such falling off a ladder or toppling over the handlebars of a bicycle.

"Going with the large icons for the campaign felt like the right choice," Zinn says. "It was something bold and different for our community. We felt it would really grab people's attention and make them read the advertising and understand what we were trying to communicate."

In addition to their aesthetic qualities, the simple ads were in line with the campaign's allotted budget.

"We didn't have a large budget for original photography or even high quality stock images, so we opted to go with these distinctive graphics," Dunlop says. "They were incredibly inexpensive and gave us an iconic look for the campaign. They translated well to both digital platforms and traditional advertising."

Changing local perception
The campaign ran in BMH's market in July and August 2014 and, as hoped, the creative design elicited a range of reactions.

"There were mixed reactions to the campaign from the community," Zinn says. "There were some that didn't appreciate the tongue-in-cheek humor of the icons and messaging, while others liked the look and impact of the campaign."

But overall, the campaign reached the goals marketers set out to achieve.

During the first three weeks of the effort, BMH's ED saw an influx of new patients—about four more each day. Additionally, the campaign microsite received 152,045 impressions and 289 clicks in July and August.

"The results are that the community now understands our new approach to providing care in the ED," Zinn says. "The emergency department has taken the notion of a rapid care area and applied it to the whole department.  All levels of acuity get to see the provider sooner rather than later. The right rooms are selected for the right patients, with more minor acuity patients being seen in our Rapid Care Rooms with just the right amount of resources applied to their cases."