CT Children's: C+K Presribes Extra Strength Broadcast

Submitted by ckwebacct on Tue, 2011-07-12 10:56
The Challenge: 

Connecticut Children’s Medical Center is the only hospital in Connecticut dedicated solely to the treatment of children, and equipped with a staff of healthcare professionals who specialize in their care. Connecticut Children’s employed the help of Cashman + Katz to create awareness, and effectively communicate to a market of adults 25-49 years old what sets the center apart from other hospitals in Connecticut.

While developing a strategy, it became clear that the hospital suffered from the lack of a stable identity. C+K re-introduced CT Children’s to the television and radio marketplace after a five year hiatus.

The Approach: 

The goal was to emphasize, particularly to parents, why CT Children’s Medical Center is so beneficial and essential to the health, development, and care of their children. The world caters to children in so many ways – zoos, pools, menus, clothing stores, etc. The campaign contends that to go to this extent for so many trivial things choosing a hospital exclusively for children is simply a logical and wise choice.

With this in mind, C+K created the position, “Giving children the care they deserve.” The campaign, consisting of radio, television and print schedules, was launched in November 2008. C+K received a one-for-one spot match, so for every television and radio spot paid for, another ad was produced at no cost. The match doubled the delivery of the media budget.

A television spot, “What Children Deserve,” highlights all the things that are just for children, and then notes that “Nothing is more important than their health,” so “Don’t they deserve their own hospital?” In a second television spot, “Surgery,” a little girl is sitting on a hospital bed talking to a doctor as the audience learns that her brother needs surgery, and “She doesn’t quite understand why.” So, as part of CT Children’s “Family Centered” care, which treats the entire family not just the patient, the doctor works “to make her feel better too.”

In addition to the paid schedule a series of health & wellness vignettes have been negotiated to be produced and aired at no-charge by WTIC TV-61. The vignettes will feature health tips pertaining to children, designed to inform parents of ways to ensure that their children are raised in a healthy environment. The vignettes will be sponsored and presented to the viewing community as a public service by Connecticut Children’s and FOX-61. Topics include “Safe Kids CT” and “Violence Prevention” – two of the key public service missions of the hospital.

All ClearChannel radio stations (WHCN, WKSS, WURCH and WWYZ), as well as WDRC-AM and WDRC-FM, will air five different 30 second vignettes at no charge that provide health care tips for parents and their children, and will be voiced by a health care professional from CT Children’s or a station representative. Similar to the television strategy, the number of times the radio spots will air will match the number of cash spots produced on each station.

The TV and print ads feature actual children who’ve attended CT Children’s Medical Center. To effectively deliver the campaign’s message to an affluent suburban audience as well as parents, four full page color ads will run in Connecticut Magazine and Hartford Magazine, and four half page color ads will appear in Connecticut Parent Magazine. Connecticut Magazine will also feature, at no cost, a one-third page vertical editorial column opposite each full page ad that will supply parents with tips for healthy lives.

The Results: 

Although it is too early to have tangible results there has been significant positive feedback about the campaign from the community, stakeholders, and the media. The campaign will continue through the end of 2009.