In spite of recent surgical advances in cataract surgery, several seniors in Stockton, Calif., harbored long-held fears that date back to the '70s about the procedure requiring long hospital stays, strong sedatives and lengthy recovery times.
When Hand M.D., Ophthalmology, a medical practice in the area, planned to promote a new no-patch, topical anesthesia cataract surgery in the fall of 1997, it knew it had to attack these mispercep-tions and educate seniors on how much the procedure had evolved in the last 30 years.
The campaign, developed by PR West, a PR/marketing agency in Carefree, Ariz., did just that. Under the tagline, "No Needle. No Stitch. No Patch.," the campaign emphasized that cataract surgery was no longer a "big deal," says Jim Kleczewski, PR West's founder, because it did not require strong medication, multiple stitches and an eye patch.
When the campaign was launched, Dr. Harold Hand's practice was the only medical practice that offered this procedure in the market so it was important to educate seniors on the latest advancements and options.
The campaign, which cost $140,000, started with teaser ads that focused on a single theme (No Needle, No Stitch or No Patch) then culminated by the spring of 1998 with all three themes in one ad that ran primarily in three area newspapers. Throughout the 20-month campaign, the practice's cataract business increased 32%, according to Kleczewski.
The campaign's procedure-focused branding approach was a huge departure from the physician-focused strategy the practice was using four years ago, when it hired PR West. Back then, the practice's cataract business had been declining for five consecutive years, from 480 surgeries per year in the early '90s to 336 by 1995. "We had to first stop the bleeding," says Kleczewski, by shifting the marketing focus to services and benefits instead of physician credentials.
This marketing approach has contributed to a steady surge in cataract surgeries for Dr. Hand's practice. This year, the practice performed close to 500 cataract surgeries.
(PR West, Jim Kleczewski, 602/488-7419; Hand, M.D. Ophthalmology, Kathy Barton, 209/952-2858)