When advertising executives for Tampa General Healthcare found out nearly a year ago that the hospital was the first one in the country to offer extra days of rest for new mothers -- they had a field day. The marketing team along with their ad agency created two newspaper ads with banner headlines --a black and white ad with a Hispanic mother and child in a hospital bed resting together -- "Nice job. Take a couple of days off on us" and one with a cute baby playing on a chnaging table "After delivering the most complex creature on earth, you deserve a couple days' rest."
The campaign, which also included direct mail and television ads, increased the number of deliveries by 10 percent. In addition, 32 percent of new mothers at the hopsital now take advantage of the program. Executives remained mum on the costs of the campaign but did reveal that to defray the costs of the campaign, the ads are available for syndication. "Because the campaign was so sucessful for us, we have decided to let others be able to use it as well," said Cindy Tanner of Tampa General.
The hospital's advertising agency, Barker, Campbell & Farley of Virginia Beach, Va., said tracking for the campaign was a inch since all the ads had a phone number printed on the bottom. (Tampa General, 813/251-7000)