Advertising up 20%, hospitals try to stand out

Although dealing with reduced reimbursements, declining patient volumes, and a still sluggish economy, hospitals, clinics, and medical centers spent $717.2 million on advertising in the first half of this year. That's 20 percent more ad dollars spent than in the same period in 2010, reports the New York Times.

Healthcare institutions in New York alone have spent $80 million in advertising this year, causing the public to question why hospitals are shelling out big bucks for advertising during tough times.

However, the advertisements have started moving away from typical hospital marketing tactics, such as ads featuring hospital buildings or pictures of doctors donning scrubs, and instead trying new methods to brand the facilities, according to the Times.

For example, to highlight the fact that Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan has been serving patients since 1857, a print ad reads: "We had cardiologists before the city even had arteries."

Meanwhile, an ad for Mount Sinai Medical Center features witty patient success stories, such as: "Ironic that a plumber came to us to remove a clog."

In order to distinguish each facility from competing hospitals (and, therefore, attract patients), ad campaigns are emphasizing one aspect that makes it unique.

The strategy is "to focus on the benefit of the hospital (we help you live longer) versus the features that they have (great technology, world class physicians) that all other hospitals claim to have as well," Paul Amelchenko, the creative director at BFW Advertising in Boca Raton, Fla., told the Times.

This approach is consistent with previous hospital marketing advice that recommends that the branding message needs to be simple, clear, and concise

For more:
- read the NYT article

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