In a follow-up to last year’s groundbreaking study that uncovered the stunning truth that hospitals are actually businesses, WiseBucks magazine issued a follow-up report showing that to remain open, hospitals have to attract patients to receive care. The follow-up report is timely, given new legislation announced in Vermont that seeks to ban hospitals from spending money on marketing and advertising.

“Like the legislator in Vermont, we were flabbergasted that hospitals actually have to attract patients with marketing and advertising,” said WiseBucks editor Joe Duhh. “That’s how regular businesses operate, sure. But hospitals? That would be like saying politicians have to spend money to get elected – doesn’t it just happen?”
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Waynesville Health was shocked at a sudden surge in web traffic and social media mentions after the launch of their latest patient testimonial campaign titled: “That’s What She Said.”

Waynesville Health director of marketing, Garth Sanders, remarked, “We know for a fact that reaching women is critical to the success of almost any healthcare marketing campaign. They wear the pants, so to speak, when it comes to making healthcare decisions. We needed a campaign that not only spoke to women, but was spoken by women. After a month of brainstorming we came up with ‘That’s what she said,’ a campaign that focuses on testimonials from women who’ve experienced the compassionate care of our hospital and clinics.” Read the full story »

At Circle J Medical Center, they are committed disciples of the old marketing axiom, “What’s in it for me?”

“Everyday we ask ourselves, in what new way can we talk about ourselves, call attention to ourselves, shine the spotlight on ourselves?” says senior market director Joseph Kool. “Truly, what is in it for us?”

The latest incarnation of the organization’s marketing strategy is a new ad campaign (see sample ad below) Read the full story »

A routine business meeting at Evergreen Hospital ended with the vice president of marketing agreeing to perform heart surgery. The move followed a heated discussion on the merits of a marketing tactic suggested by a heart surgeon.

Janet Nolan, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon, was advocating for printing advertising on java jackets (coffee cup wraps) to help address a persistent lag in cardiology consults.

“Everyone drinks coffee, and many will eventually require cardiovascular intervention,” said Dr. Nolan. “And think of all the caffeine-induced arrhythmias we’d be in front of. The strategy is so obvious it makes you question the intelligence of our marketing staff.” Read the full story »

The marketing department at General Hospital has developed a new approach they call “Billboards 2.0.” They developed the strategy after reviewing search terms people used to find the General Hospital website. When they discovered that visitors were using very specific terms, they realized it could help them target their billboard messages. Read the full story »