Developing a Brand & Marketing Strategy for a New Walk-In Care Clinic
FirstTracks Marketing Group recently won a Gold Lamplighter Award from the New England Society of Healthcare Innovators (NESHCo) at its annual awards ceremony. The Lamplighters honor the best in healthcare communications and marketing.
The Lamplighter Award, presented in the Special Events: Success on a Shoestring category, recognized our outstanding marketing and branding campaign for Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene’s new Walk-In Care clinic. FirstTracks developed the new clinic’s name, logo, branding elements, print and radio advertising, and print collateral prior to the opening of the new medical facility. We even produced a billboard for a sports arena.
“Working with CMC/DHK on introducing its new Walk-In Care clinic was a rewarding and creative challenge,” said Greg Connolly, president of FirstTracks. “Developing an affiliated brand requires careful planning.”
Careful Planning and a Multi-Channel Approach
Our challenge was to introduce the Walk-In Care clinic and distinguish it from the Cheshire Medical Center emergency department. We also had to show the community why Walk-In Care was a better choice than two other urgent care centers that recently moved into the area.
First we defined the brand (Walk-In Care). Then we attached a tagline to the brand (“Directly Connected to Your Health Care Team”) that differentiated Walk-In Care from its competitors. Since most people in the region were already patients of CMC/DHK-affiliated doctors, Walk-In Care would automatically have access to their medical records. This makes a trip to Walk-In Care easier and removes any confusion around a patient’s medical history. Details from Walk-In Care visits would also be added to patients’ medical history, providing a complete report back to their primary care provider and specialists.
Once the branding was complete, which included a logo and color palette, we began a marketing strategy that employed a multi‐channel approach. Our campaign included print and radio advertising, posters, banners, brochures, and window displays. We emphasized consistency in messaging and appearance to capitalize on multiple impressions to reinforce messaging.
Print advertising included full-color ads in four regional newspapers and one local magazine. A 30-second radio ad was produced and ran on four regional stations multiple times per day. We developed a tri-fold brochure that was distributed in all areas of the hospital and affiliated offices. Posters were created and displayed on stands in all waiting areas of the hospital and affiliated offices. Window displays were produced for the Walk-In Care center to announce its opening. And a billboard promoting Walk-In Care was designed for display at the Keene Ice Arena. The staff at CMC/DMK took all this material and created a website landing page, online ads, and social media posts to round out the promotion.
Measuring Success One Patient at a Time
“Response to the campaign was extremely successful,” said Robert Dukette, creative director of FirstTracks. “The number of patients treated at Walk-In Care during the first year exceeded projections by 34 percent. Our messaging defining Walk-In Care as “quality care you can count on” and “directly connected to your health care team” resonated with the local community.”
The CMC/DHK emergency department also reported that it was seeing fewer patients with minor injuries and illnesses, indicating that these patients were using the more convenient and less expensive services at Walk-In Care instead.
Further, the number of patient seeking services at Walk-In Care remains consistent a year later, indicating that our overall communication and marketing strategy was successful. Receiving the Lamplighter Award from NESHCo is frosting on the cake.
“We’re pleased to be recognized by NESHCo for our work in building this new brand,” Dukette said.
The New England Society of Healthcare Innovators (NESHCo) is a professional society for healthcare communications, public relations, marketing, advertising, and public affairs. NESHCo is committed to helping its members grow professionally and become better communicators. The Lamplighter Awards recognize excellent and exceptional healthcare communications. They are awarded each year in a wide variety of categories including, publications, public relations, and advertising.
FirstTracks also won two Gold Lamplighter Awards in 2013 for producing the Cheshire Medical Center/Dartmouth-Hitchcock Keene annual report and for community relations/outreach and advocacy for the CMC/DHK annual appeal.
Do you need help with logo development, brand strategy, or launching a new brand?
The FirstTracks team is ready to help you with creative marketing solutions for promoting your new business, product, or service. Give us a call at 603-924-1978 or fill out our online request form. We look forward to connecting with you soon.
