In this new department we dissect the compelling aspects of how an agency pitched and won new healthcare client business. Pitching a new client and getting the business requires speedy research, developing a keen eye for the client's pressing issues and having the guts to sometimes tell them what they don't want to hear to solve their problems.
The Win
Eric Mower and Associates's (EMA) won the assignment for crisis communications and marketing strategy from Cross River HealthCare and Benedictine Hospital (CRHBH) in Albany, NY, in December, 1997.
Competition
Brekshire Marketing Group; Marketing Strategies Inc.
Pitch team
Jenn Thompson, senior account executive; Chris Ritter, partner; Dr. John Huppertz, managing partner; Richard Skiermont, creative supervisor and Rick Lyke, partner and management supervisor.
Issues
Cross River Healthcare was in the throes of a major not-for-profit merger involving The Kingston Hospital (TKH), Northern Dutchess Hospital (NDH) and most recently Benedictine Hospital (BH) last year.
The merger, which involved TKH and NDH discontinuing certain reproductive services like elective terminations and sterilizations, triggered community backlash from special interest groups and generated controversial media coverage.
Initially, CRHBH was looking for an agency to handle the crisis communications surrounding the merger and another agency to launch its marcom campaigns after the merger.
Through targeted research and a reality-based pitch presentation that highlighted EMA's expertise with crisis communications and marketing, the agency convinced CRHBH that it could effectively handle both assignments.
Homework
Homework: The EMA team surfed the Web for similar crisis issues involving hospitals that relinquished abortion services. They specifically looked at how four hospitals, some of which were Catholic, handled this emotionally-charged crisis with the media.
They also looked at CRHBH's media coverage and how the hospital network's spokespeople handled the crisis.
Presentation
Using a candid, up-front approach, EMA outlined how they could use their healthcare-specific crisis communications expertise to better communicate the key merger issues to the community. But they also stressed that they didn't have all of the answers to CRHBH's problems and that additional research was needed.
The team highlighted five mini-case studies involving New York hospitals that were ensconced in crises involving abortion issue. The common communications thread among these hospitals was an "all or nothing" approach that involved discontinuing abortion services as well as not providing access to them off-site, says Rick Lyke, an EMA partner and management supervisor.
In CRHBH's case, the hospitals would refer patients who wanted abortion services to anothher clinic. The team suggested that among the other key benefits of the merger to the community that this policy be stressed to the media. Other pitch strategies involved demonstrating EMA's:
- market research capabilities;
- media training expertise for crisis communications; and
- regional marcom experience.
Pitch Tips
For CRHBH's VP of Planning and Communications Paul Heady, EMA earned the business primarily because of their "perceived willingness to pool [market] resources" for communicating the hospital's controversial issues.
To earn the trust and confidence of healthcare clients embroiled in a crisis during a new business pitch, Lyke suggests:
- Being honest about what the agency can and can't do. Candidly say "There are no quick-fixes!"
- Researching marketing issues similar to the new client's (the Internet is ideal).
- Supporting communication strategies with issue-management tactics.
Agency Portfolio
EMA's other regional hospital clients include Guthrie Health System, Crouse Health, and the Syracuse University School of Nursing.
(EMA, Rick Lyke, 518/449-3000 ext. 501; CRHBH, Paul Heady, 914/331-3131)
Do you have a winning pitch you'd like to brag about? If so, send the press release to editor Ann McMikel via fax: 301/340-1451 or email: [email protected].