Jan. 15, 2010 at 4:13pm

Go ahead, spend your ad budget!

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising
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©iStockphoto.com/ayzek
 

As 2009 drew to a close, the phones were ringing and our email inboxes pinging. What was all the commotion about?

Advertising!

While many of our health care clients faced budget cuts in 2009 and 2010 looks flat or only slightly better than 2009, there are still a lot of questions out how much to spend on advertising this year.

Dec. 15, 2009 at 9:55am

What will people find when they search for you on Google maps?

Five reasons to update your Google Local Business Listing

Posted by Kacie McKinney in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Measurement
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©iStockphoto.com/geopaul
 

Chances are that you are already listed on Google Maps. But you may not know that you have the opportunity to add more to your listing (and it’s free!).

Oct. 9, 2009 at 12:16pm

Don’t do it just because everyone says to

10 social media tips

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
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©iStockphoto.com/henrik5000
 

You should blog!

Everyone says our hospital should have a Facebook page.

I’ll never convince the docs to Twitter!

Oct. 2, 2009 at 4:28pm

What does a senior look like?

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising
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©iStockphoto.com/monkeybusinessimages
 

I just came back from a Sunday brunch at IHOP with my family. There were four seniors in our party of seven. By looking at us, I’m not sure you could tell who the seniors were. Being a senior depends on your definition of senior. And at least one of our senior diners is denying he is one. You see, IHOP considers you to be a senior at 55 years old.

Sep. 17, 2009 at 4:11pm

Real. Readable. Writing

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Measurement, Planning and Strategy
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I dropped my husband off at the airport this morning at 3:30 a.m., and all the caffeine in the world won’t keep me buzzing.

Aug. 21, 2009 at 11:13am

Done right, done cheap: A few good ideas

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Planning and Strategy
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How can you stretch your marketing dollars amid the current economic challenges? Here are some inexpensive ideas that will grab the attention of your audience. Read more

May. 6, 2009 at 12:03pm

Piggyback your way to results

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Special Events
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“Someone pushed it. We’re on our way.” Brilliant. And a timely lesson on my commute earlier today. I was looking at the back end of a Staples delivery truck featuring a large, red “Easy” button.

The truck graphics show two tried and true techniques for stretching a budget in good times and bad.

Dec. 31, 2008 at 9:13am

Lessons from Oprah and Middle Sister Rebel Red

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Special Events
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It’s no secret that I like red wine. But my husband would tell you I enjoy selecting a great wine bottle label as much as I enjoy sipping the contents. Read more

Dec. 5, 2008 at 8:40am

Make them irrelevant

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy, Practice Management
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“Don’t compete with them – make them irrelevant!”

Dec. 3, 2008 at 12:35pm

Are your ads like porn?

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
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Sometimes I think creativity is a little like pornography – you recognize it when you see it. Read more

Nov. 20, 2008 at 4:41pm

The relevancy test

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Planning and Strategy
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My husband is constantly pointing out car models he likes when we drive together. I only act interested. You see, where I see five lanes of clogged freeway, my husband sees a vast used car lot. Read more

Oct. 21, 2008 at 9:13am

Got a minute, doc?

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Practice Management
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A passenger who sees a dirty tray table, an airline CEO once remarked, is likely to question if the engines are maintained properly. That’s because consumers use cues to judge quality. I was reminded of this lesson just now as I reviewed the results of interviews, focus groups and surveys conducted by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in 14 communities around the country.

Sep. 5, 2008 at 8:50am

Make your claim matter

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
Comments (1)

So what?

That was my initial response to a health care ad I glanced at this morning that claimed, “ … we have some of the fastest ER times in the state.”

Aug. 8, 2008 at 11:06am

Safety, experience lure boomers

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
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Consumers become more risk averse as they age, observes Peter Francese in Ad Age July 7, 2008. Francese is founder of American Demographics magazine and demographic trend analyst at Ogilvy Mather. So, we should appeal to aging boomers with messages of safety, experience and service guarantees.

And we should do it carefully, especially among the boomers I know – and you probably do, too – who seem to get more pig-headed with age. “Resolutely opinionated consumers don’t want to admit their minds are closed, and they resent it when anyone suggests they are not willing to consider a new idea,” Francese writes.

May. 28, 2008 at 2:17pm

Orthopedics, pediatrics, semantics - Oh my!

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Care Line Marketing
Comments (1)

“Don’t overestimate the intelligence of your audience” may be sage advice. Yet overestimating their knowledge can be foolhardy or downright dangerous. The last 18 hours presented two telling examples:

Last night my husband and I caught a TV commercial that started with a grandfather playing with his grandson. It also had images of fancy technology and caring providers. The voiceover mentioned orthopedic services several times.

May. 23, 2008 at 2:18pm

To blog or not to blog?

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
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To blog or not to blog? That issue came up repeatedly at JayRay’s annual ThinkLab in Gig Harbor on May 9.

Several of our friends in health care marketing and public relations questioned the marketing value of blogging. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite blogs – and I’ll be curious to hear if, after checking out any of these blogs, the answer to this blog’s topic is any clearer.

Apr. 11, 2008 at 2:26pm

Dumb it down, please

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Practice Management
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“I haven’t been in a Cath Lab since I was in medical school,” confessed a well-respected family practice physician during a recent dinner meeting.

Always curious, I was quizzing her about what newsletters she reads, what she knows about sophisticated medical procedures and how she makes decisions about where to refer patients.

It was an eye-opening discussion.

Mar. 25, 2008 at 2:28pm

The three Ps of branding

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
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How do we “choose” a brand?

I’m working with several clients to answer this important question. And while our process at JayRay involves a number of strategic and thoughtful steps, our clients seem to most appreciate when we work with them to develop and test the three Ps: position, promise and personality.

Here’s a peek inside the process for a new Catholic high school:

Feb. 15, 2008 at 2:33pm

Coffee and a colonoscopy

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
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Last week’s episode of “Dance War: Bruno versus Carrie Ann” provided surprising inspiration for one of the key elements of branding: differentiation.

For those of you who missed the show, country sensation Taylor Swift made a guest appearance and offered advice to the dance teams. ”When I was 11-years-old,“ the now 18-year-old recalled, “I knocked on the door of dozens of record companies. Now I don’t know if I’d advise you to do that, but I learned one thing from that experience: figure out how you’re different and stick to it.”

Jan. 31, 2008 at 2:38pm

Made to stick

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Care Line Marketing, Planning and Strategy
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Sorting through a week’s worth of mail from my post office box got me thinking about this week’s blog post.

Consider all the junk mail you get. If you’re like me, you quickly locate the bills and the rest is dumped into recycle. But early this morning, well before the first few ounces of caffeine had reached my brain, a random piece of mail caught my attention. In red type, the envelope screamed:

Jan. 24, 2008 at 2:41pm

The power of WOM

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Measurement, Planning and Strategy
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Sunday’s Seattle Times was filled with ads from competing hospitals. As I quickly scanned them, I couldn’t help but think about a few random statistics I’ve read recently:

• A friend’s recommendation is five times more trustworthy than an ad
• People learn from advertising, but make their decisions by listening to a trusted source
• It’s estimated that in 2007, 66 million adults shared reviews and advice about products and services and 27 million “exerted influence” online