Hospital Marketing Journal

The Power of Believing

by Scott Mosley I recently had the privilege of accompanying Jon Headlee to the 4th Annual Becker’s Hospital Review Meeting in Chicago. I got to see a few old friends and left the three-day meeting with some strong impressions reinforced. I was reminded that Lou Holtz is every bit as entertaining of a speaker as he was when I had occasion to hear him during our mutual time in Arkansas. His Friday morning keynote message was simple and on-point. Attitude trumps talent in the game of life. Holtz – a master of motivation – should know. In his address, Holtz mentioned the 1978 Orange Bowl at which the Arkansas Razorbacks entered as overwhelming underdogs to the #2 ranked Oklahoma Sooners, coached by Barry Switzer – a Crossett, Arkansas boy. As an Arkansas native, myself, I remember the game well. The Sooners had a national title in their grasp and were 24-point favorites since just prior to the game Holtz had to suspend three star players for team rule violations. Among them was Ben Cowins, the Razorback’s much-heralded star running back. Arkansas was given little chance of victory. Although the suspended players and fans protested, Holtz refused to back down and the suspensions stood. The #1 Texas Longhorns had lost earlier on New Year’s Day, and everyone knew for certain that Oklahoma would leave the game as national champions. Everyone but Holtz, that is, and a second string running back by the name of Roland Sales. Sales was handed the unenviable and overwhelming assignment of filling in for the suspended Cowins. Well, the outcome is history. Roland Sales caught four passes for 52 yards and two touchdowns and carried the ball 22 times for 205 yards, more than half his total for the entire preceding season. His performance set an Orange Bowl record that stood for 20 years until Ahman Green carried for 206 yards in 1998. Under Holtz’ leadership, Arkansas defeated Oklahoma 31-6 in one of the best ballgames I’ve ever seen. Arkansas finished #3 that year, behind Notre Dame and Alabama. But, I don’t think Holtz saw it that way. Arkansas outplayed Oklahoma in one of the most unlikely exhibitions of attitude and spirit I ever hope to see. Yes, it’s only football. But I think it’s impossible not to draw some parallels. It’s good for us to be reminded of the true power in leadership, teamwork and motivation. Holtz would call it the “power of believing.” Whatever you call it, it’s a vital ingredient in healthcare’s recipe for success. To view the Keynote presentation Winning Every Day: A Game Plan For Success by Coach Lou Holtz, click here.

Ring in the New Year — Ten Adams Style

While most New Year’s resolutions revolve around diets and exercise, Ten Adams has kept its goals for the upcoming year on the less conventional side. And to shake things up even more, the creative team here at Ten Adams has been hustling and bustling to put together a fun video showcasing these goals.     Ten Adams has also made a resolution to help those in need. So, this holiday season, Ten Adams is taking a moment to recognize our blessings and support an initiative that has been near and dear to the hearts of the Ten Adams family — Lifesong for Orphans' — Both Hands initiative. This initiative helps families adopting orphans internationally with the incredible expense of the adoption process — while, simultaneously, serving widows through home improvement projects. With over 163 million orphans in the world today, we encourage everyone to donate to this cause, helping to put children back into families and on the road to success and recovery. To contribute to Both Hands Foundation, please visit www.bothhandsfoundation.org. We wish everyone a wonderful holiday season and all the best in 2013!

First Annual Brain Games

Due to our work schedule, we couldn’t make it to London for the Olympic Games, so the Ten Adams office was converted for a few hours last Thursday into an Olympic ground. You might say that office Olympics are much more carefree and considerably less competitive than the real Olympics, but the competition at the Brain Games was stiff this year. (Trash talk was accepted and even encouraged!) However, even with all of the excitement and competitiveness going on, pre-games training was not required—just a good attitude and a good sense of humor. At the opening ceremony for Ten Adams’ first ever office Olympics, representatives of the two sides of the brain proceeded  through the event grounds (a parking lot/our backyard) in colorful uniforms (t-shirts) to boost excitement for the contests that followed. Two teams, the Right Brains (Orange) and the Left Brains (Blue) participated in the following games: Bat Spin Relay Race – The Right Brains and Left Brains spun around in circles with their foreheads (and festive brain caps) touching the end of a bat before taking off on a dizzying and potentially dangerous run down to the other end of the yard. Even though the Orange Team got points for style (Debbie, the team captain, took one for the team and nose-dived into the ground), the Blue Team was the first to cross the finish line, leaving them victorious.  The Brain Race– Lauren from the Orange Team and Kathy from the Blue Team wound up their walking toy brains fast and furiously for a mad dash from one end of the conference table to another, but the brains themselves were not so fast (much slower than our Ten Adams healthcare masterminds!). Again, the Blue Team was triumphant, even though there was some questionable activity from the Blue Team’s participants (Nancy!). The Brain Toss – Our last, and perhaps most grueling event was the Brain Toss. Members of the two teams dueled against one another to throw our Ten Adams splatter brains hoping to hit the bullseye.  Unfortunately, due to the stickiness of the brains most didn’t even hit the wall, much less the target. A few made it down to the second floor, and a couple more stuck to the ceiling (something that has become an increasingly regular occurrence around here). Kris’ catlike reflexes allowed her to actually catch a brain, winning style points for the Orange Team, who came out on top for this event. The MVPs were Nancy from the Blue Team and Chris from the Orange Team. Although the Blue Team was awarded with the most medals, the Orange Team held the MOST valuable player, Naiyana, who did all of the artwork for this event. Thank you, Naiyana! When all was said and done, the first annual Brain Games was a success! Ten Adams was energized by the unity and laughter it brought to the team and plans on continuing the Brain Games in the coming years.  How does your company reenergize and build stronger staff relationships? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

Experiencing the Brand

I am emotional. So are you. And this is okay. Because humans are emotional creatures. Sure, the rational side takes over every now + then (good thing, otherwise we’d all be driving Ferraris we can’t afford). But the 2012 Olympics have been proof of the power our emotional brain has. We didn’t see many TV spots promoting a product or service. (Those that have, tanked…hello, McDonalds.). What we have seen are brands doing their best to tug at the heartstrings of their consumers — connecting their brand experience to this 17-day experience we share together with the rest of the world. Nike has inspired. Visa has celebrated. P&G has connected deeply with their critical mom audience. (Confession — those ‘Thank You Mom’ spots made me tear up nearly every single time. Like I said…emotional.) Appealing to emotions is a smart move. Because we will always remember how we are made to feel. And hearing about a brand is nothing like experiencing a brand firsthand. Brands that hold no personal connection to us are easily replaced. I am not personally connected to my brand of toothpaste. But P&G has worked very hard during these Olympics to make me feel connected to their brand (which includes toothpaste) in a different way. As the proud supporter of Moms, P&G has hit a home run with their TV spots. But P&G has made an even smarter move, letting consumers experience their brand in a tangible + meaningful way. Their 65,000 square foot Family Home caters to parents of Olympians — they take care of the laundry, the meals, there’s even a salon for mom makeovers. This is a rare + valuable opportunity for parents of Olympians to experience the P&G brand, not just read about it, think about it or talk about it. And P&G has embraced this opportunity. It's no longer enough to have a transactional relationship with consumers, not enough to provide basic and rational value in a product. Those types of relationships are one-dimensional, forgettable (and easily replaced). Not easily replaced are the emotions generated through brand experiences like what P&G is building. This is where brand loyalty starts. Ten Adams recently launched The Christ Hospital Health Network brand, (which you'll see more of in this + future newsletters). A component to this launch was giving consumers (which includes both patients + employees) the opportunity to interact with + experience the brand on a personal level. For a brand launch like this, the internal audience is just as important as our external audience. We hand delivered sneak preview kits to inform employees about the rebranding efforts + to display the new brand with pride — making them feel like a valuable + critical component to the rebrand (which they are). We also developed an interactive video kiosk that allows patients + employees to speak about their experiences with the brand (and giving us terrific content for social media propagation). Experiential marketing like this is gaining momentum — and with good reason. Because experiences are what make us truly fall in love with brands. (And cry during the Olympics, from what I’ve been told.)

Marketing to a Younger Audience

by Sarah Munjas 

As children mature into teens, they form a new and unique population of patients. After a childhood of doctors’ visits aimed at treating the common cold and tracking developmental milestones, preteens and teens need a different level of medical care.  Since adolescents are less concerned about health, and more focused on school, sports, and other activities, they can be a hard group to reach. To reach the teenage audience, marketing campaigns see the success in offering a fun and educational learning environment through programs and workshops.  Examples: Go Red Girl Scouts Patch Program. The American Heart Association’s Go Red Program brings women and Girl Scouts together to raise awareness of the danger of heart disease as a serious women's health issue that starts with lifestyle habits developed early in life. The patch activities teach girls how to keep their heart strong by promoting healthy lifestyles and decision making. Educational Programs & Workshops. Many hospitals realize that the transition from child to teen can be an exciting, as well as an uneasy time for parents. Parents struggle with how to begin discussions with their child about the changes and challenges of the adolescent years. Some hospitals offer program or educational sessions that provide an opportunity for parents to join other parents in discussions with physicians about the many topics related to important healthy growth and development of their adolescent child.   National Public Health Week. Since children and adolescents spend a majority of their time at school, it only makes sense to reach them there. Several schools across the country utilize this week to educate teens who may not be familiar with how to live a healthy lifestyle. They invite doctors and other healthcare providers to speak to children, set up stations to check blood pressure, or educate them on the importance of not smoking.  Sports Therapy/Rehab. As more students begin to lead an active lifestyle, the likelihood for injury increases.  To connect both with parents and students, many hospitals incorporate sports rehab and physical therapy programs into schools. This provides a comfortable setting for students, a convenient location for parents, and an accessible environment for physicians to reach these audiences.  While the transition into the young adult world can be overwhelming, every adolescent can benefit from supportive physician relationships to help guide them through this exciting and oftentimes confusing period. As a healthcare provider, it is important to encourage a healthy lifestyle, monitor the health of teenager’s growing and changing mind and body, and support adolescents to make safe and healthy choices.