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	<title>Weekly Probe</title>
	<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com</link>
	<description>Deep insights into healthcare marketing news</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Wed, 30 Dec 2009 18:56:50 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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		<title>&#8220;That&#8217;s what she said&#8221; campaign garners unexpected national attention</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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: &#8220;That&#8217;s What She Said.&#8221; 
Waynesville Health director of marketing, Garth Sanders, remarked, &#8220;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 ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/12/thats-what-she-said-campaign-garners-unexpected-national-attention/</link>
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		<title>Ad kudos of the week: Embracing narcissism</title>
		<description><![CDATA[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) featuring their own doctors and touting the organization’s penchant for winning awards, hiring attractive staff and its overall awesomeness. The campaign ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/11/ad-kudos-of-the-week-embracing-narcissism/</link>
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		<title>Hospital removes water coolers in ongoing effort to stem socializing by staff.</title>
		<description><![CDATA[In a move aimed at further restricting any form of socializing or unproductive behavior among hospital staff, officials at Knuckles Medical Center have removed more than 60 water coolers from the facility. While many hospitals have followed a similar philosophy in blocking social web sites such as Facebook and Twitter, KMC is believed to be the first organization in the country to take the strategy to this level.
“Everyone says these web sites are online versions of the water cooler, so we went ahead and eliminated the actual water coolers,” said ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/10/hospital-removes-water-coolers-in-ongoing-effort-to-stem-socializing-by-staff/</link>
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		<title>Orlando reports spike in liquor sales; hospital marketing conference cited</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Orlando Chamber of Commerce reported a spike in liquor sales this week, with an overall increase of 30% over the previous week. Officials aren’t sure of the reason behind the increase, but do note that the presence of a national healthcare marketing conference in town may be playing a factor.
“The last time they had their conference here, sales were off the charts,” said Anton Chigurh, the chamber’s spokesperson. “The ran out of cranberry juice for all the crantinis.”
This year, officials have noted a shortage of vermouth, Maker’s Mark and ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/10/orlando-reports-spike-in-liquor-sales-hospital-marketing-conference-cited/</link>
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		<title>Ad Kudos of the Week: Tenderness and Trauma Care</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Palm Hills Hospital recorded amazing results after running their new ad campaign, “Tenderness,” promoting their trauma care service line. (View sample television spot below). Admissions to the ED increased 47% during the campaign, including a 124% spike in auto accident and laceration patients.
“The results were among the best we’ve ever seen,” said Palm Hills marketing director Daphne Landry. “This just goes to prove that tenderness sells.” 
While the advertising seems fairly standard, Landry says it was the combination of calming images and differentiating messaging, such as focusing on the words ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/09/ad-kudos-of-the-week-tenderness-and-trauma-care/</link>
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		<title>Embracing Facebook, Pantaloon Hospital announces results: “they are the color beige.”</title>
		<description><![CDATA[Following the implementation of a new Facebook strategy, Pantaloon Hospital’s CEO Terry Becker held a press conference Thursday to announce the hospital has determined that it, according to a popular online quiz, is the color beige.
“We’ve jumped head first into social media, and what we’ve learned through Facebook is truly eye opening,” said Becker. “Following the completion of the ‘What color are you?’ quiz, the result of ‘beige’ gives us tremendous insight into how to engage our community, and we’re acting immediately on that information.” 
As a result of this ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/07/embracing-facebook-pantaloon-hospital-announces-results-%e2%80%9cthey-are-the-color-beige%e2%80%9d/</link>
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		<title>Logo Talk: GI center opts for realism with new corporate identity</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ “We want patients to know exactly how we can help them.”

With a new CEO and new physicians on staff, the leadership at Grassy Acres Gastrointestinal Center knew it was time to develop an updated corporate identity to help present its new face to the St. Louis market. While they decided to retain the clinic’s name, they wanted a fresh logo. But unlike the name &#8211; which was the inspiration of the former CEO’s ex-wife &#8211; they wanted a logo that clearly reflected their business. 

“Our name is somewhat esoteric ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/06/logo-talk-gi-center-opts-for-realism-with-new-corporate-identity/</link>
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		<title>Heart surgeon and marketer agree to switch roles for a day</title>
		<description><![CDATA[ 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&#8217;d be in front of. The ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/06/heart-surgeon-and-marketer-agree-to-switch-roles-for-a-day/</link>
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		<title>Topless car washes trigger senate investigation of community benefit reporting</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The Senate Finance Committee will continue its investigation into abuses in community benefit reporting after a hospital in California accounted for $347 in topless car washes. The 2008 Community Benefit Report for SunSpot Hospital in Fresno, CA lists the benefit under its “Self-help program” category, along with its smoking cessation classes and anger management programs. 
In a tweet this weekend, Senator Charles Grassley of Iowa, the top-ranking Republican on the committee, commented: “Hosps having topless car wshs I get, but $347? That seems like a stretch #welovechuck.” 
In May, the ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/06/topless-car-washes-trigger-senate-investigation-of-community-benefit-reporting/</link>
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		<title>Ad Kudos of the Week: Hospital introduces Billboards 2.0</title>
		<description><![CDATA[The marketing department at General Hospital has developed a new approach they call &#8220;Billboards 2.0.&#8221; 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.

John Smith, VP of Marketing at General, explains:
&#8220;We used to have identical billboards that said &#8220;General Hospital Cancer Center &#8211; Because We Care.&#8221; But after reviewing our Google Analytics we realized that people want very specific information. For example, last ...]]></description>
		<link>http://www.weeklyprobe.com/2009/05/ad-kudos-of-the-week-hospital-introduces-billboards-20/</link>
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