Targeting ads to local geographies pays off for MedStar

With 10 hospitals and 20 additional health-related businesses in Maryland and Washington, D.C.—where some serious competitors grab a lot of consumer attention—advertising can be a dicey proposition.

In Baltimore, Johns Hopkins University Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center are prominent, while the nation’s capital also has its share of well-known medical centers. 

To elevate awareness of MedStar’s facilities, communicators needed to focus on key differentiators, the most significant of which was access: No matter where you might be in MedStar’s region, you’re not far from a MedStar hospital. To pull off this feat, MedStar didn’t produce generic TV spots, but rather targeted specific parts of its region, creating a commercial touting Washington Hospital Center and Georgetown University Hospital in the D.C. area, while in Baltimore, the focus was on access to multiple facilities from various parts of the city. 

As a result of the geographic targeting of messages, MedStar recorded a three-point increase in its annual brand awareness study. 

We offer our heartiest congratulations to Jean Hitchock, Ty Kennon, and Melissa Lambdin from MedStar, and from the company’s advertising agency, ab+c Creative Intelligence, our congratulations go out to Tom McGivney, Lynda Rudolph, Joe Dawson, Maria Stearns, Corrine Cowen, and Stacy Speicher, all winners in the Best TV Advertising Campaign category of Ragan’s 2014 Health Care PR and Marketing Awards!

Want to get recognized for your hard work? Find out about Ragan and PR Daily’s award programs here: https://www.ragan.com/Awards/RaganAwardsPrograms.aspx.