The H Agency - A Strategic Marketing and Creative Agency

H Work: Health and Wellness

Our clients range from multiple-hospital healthcare organizations to specialized clinics and hospitals, community-based health wellness organizations, alternative healthcare companies and products, and health services.

Medical Center ER Campaign

Overview
A medical center client was opening its emergency room as part of an expansion of its emergency services. The medical facility had been purchased from another medical provider and the emergency services area had been closed for several years. The re-opening was an important milestone for available healthcare services to the New Orleans community.

Challenge
We needed to develop a series of communications that would stand out and attract the attention of local residents in the initial communications campaign. In the follow-up communications, we needed to build awareness and educate potential patients about the benefits available through the new emergency care facility.

Solution
Emergency care is not necessarily top-of-mind for most of us, until we need it, and then it becomes bigger-than-life. Our solution focused on translating this bigger-than-life concept into a visual reality. A broad-scale awareness building campaign was used that included radio, billboards, bus stands, bus and streetcar banners, direct mail, online web banners on the NOLA.com website, building banners, streetlight pole banners, and various signage around the medical center. The creative used in this pre-opening phase of the campaign emphasized this bigger-than-life concept by using a LARGE oversized ER in the messaging.

BIG ER
To help further demonstrate the bigger-than-life theme, we designed 12' tall, 3-D letters "ER" that were used as a movable billboard. These oversized letters were driven on main roads and neighborhoods around the medical center's service area to gain attention and build awareness for the opening of the emergency services department.

Messaging
The pre-opening copy on billboards contained a countdown of the number of days leading up to the ER opening. Others showed the distance, in minutes, from that location to the ER. Print ad and brochure messaging contained the tag line, "For BIG emergencies, better care." Direct mail pieces emphasized that this hospital's ER should be "Your first choice when seconds matter..."

Post-grand opening
For the post-grand opening of the ER facility, we created a series of print ads, featuring photographs of the oversized ER letters taken in various recognizable locations in the medical center's service area. These ads emphasized that emergency care services are "closer to wherever you are." The outdoor advertising message changed after the grand opening to read "ER" now open.

Results
More than 300 people were in attendance for the ribbon-cutting event to open Ochsner Baptist's new emergency room. Between the grand opening on January 12, and March 23, 2009, the new ER served 2,955 patients, far exceeding the hospital's original projections. The H Agency's Big ER campaign was featured on front cover of Marketing Healthcare Today, a nationally recognized healthcare publication, with a 4-page color spread inside.

H Work: Health and Wellness

Medical Center Client - For the women's center and obstetrics campaigns; Theme: "The Birthplace of the Blues and Pinks"

Overview
This medical center had a prominent and established location in uptown New Orleans that had been in operation since 1926. Though the hospital was well known for its excellent women's services, it was not well recognized for its infant care or for its birthing center. It was experiencing a decline in OB referrals and many women were choosing other facilities.

Challenge
Our challenge was to develop a brand identity and strategic marketing campaign that communicated their message in a way that would cut through the advertising clutter of other hospitals competing for this market. The message needed to convey the strength and credibility of the hospital's current brand and extend it to women's and infants' care.

Solution
The H Agency interviewed obstetrics physicians and nurses to determine key benefit points of the campaign and conducted research to determine what service and facility features were most desirable of new OB patients such as shorter wait times, attractive waiting areas and more private rooms. Our research showed that obstetrics was a pivotal starting point for starting and building relationships with women throughout their lifetime. We developed a graphic approach and brand identity that built on the hospital's long history of quality healthcare in the community, and then connected this to women's and infants' services identifying it as "The Birthplace of the Blues...and the Pinks."

Results
The hospital experienced a 37% increase in patient referrals during the first three months of the campaign.

H Work: Health and Wellness

Hospital Ad Campaign

Overview
This North Carolina hospital had the longest history of any medical facility in its community. The community's perception was that even though the hospital was well established and trusted, it was aging and possibly didn't offer the same quality of care and technology as a newer hospital that had been opened nearby.

Challenge
We assessed the situation through a series of interviews and found that the hospital was allowing the community to define it instead of taking the initiative to define itself.

Solution
The H Agency developed a creative strategy within 48 hours outlining a perception plan utilizing a series of communications to address key issues internally and externally. We created a theme for the communications campaign that emphasized the past contributions of the hospital, the fundamental role it had played and highlighted the many improvements.

Results
Consumer perception studies after the campaign showed a positive shift in perception.

H Work: Health and Wellness

Health System Client - Quarterly Physicians' Publication

Overview
This health system client has seven hospitals and more than 35 neighborhood health centers within its organization. Their quarterly physicians' magazine contains news and information directed to staff physicians and referring physicians.

Challenge
The H Agency was presented with the opportunity to organize the design of the publication more effectively, to streamline and simplify its production, and at the same time improve its visual impact and readability.

Solution
Working closely with the health system's marketing department, our staff studied previous issues of the publication to determine what worked and where enhancements might be made. We recommended several design modifications that would allow continuity between previous issues and provide a cleaner, and more well organized layout that helped present content in a lively and easy to scan and read structure.

Results
The redesign was considered a successful and positive improvement by the client and received positive responses from national and international physician readers.

H Work: Health and Wellness

Girl's Organization

Overview
This local non-profit organization provides support and guidance for underserved adolescent girls by offering systematic age-appropriate sports, exercise and movement opportunities to enhance their psychological, psychosocial and cognitive development. The H Agency became involved with this organization in its earliest days. Agency president and creative director Winnie Hart serves on the organization's board of directors.

Challenge
The H Agency was challenged to create a brand identity that reflected the fun learning aspects of the organization and to convey a level of credibility through the design to support fund-raising efforts and appeal to a high level of potential donors.

Solution
We created marketing, public relations and a brand identity for the organization. The brand was communicated through promotional brochures, newsletters, direct mail pieces, press releases, t-shirts and other collateral support materials.

Results
The new branded communications materials helped attract a significant increase in donations from supporters including a large donation from one well-known television personality and philanthropist. The H Agency also researched, applied for and was awarded grant monies from Sappi Paper Co. to underwrite printing of the organization's promotional materials.