Overview
Gila Regional Medical Center is a regional acute care medical center that has served southwest New Mexico with excellent care for over 130 years. But like many rural healthcare providers, Gila Regional had not been profitable in years, and recent changes to administration and physician changeovers contributed to negative community perceptions and patient out-migration.
Challenge
Our creative director, Doug Oakes, was brought in to revitalize the flagging brand image and negative public perceptions. Starting with a marketing plan overhaul and a rebrand of the dated corporate image, Oakes developed a new brand image, new brand, and service line campaigns, and turned around negative media relations that were dragging down public perception. Partnering with Michie Turpin to shoot new imagery and video brought the campaigns to life and breathed new life into the stale imagery of the hospital, the campaign reminded the community that Gila Regional was part of the very landscape of the region.
Results
Results were overwhelmingly positive, helping the hospital achieve profitability for the first time in a 10-year period, and garnering huge public support to turn back the acquisition efforts of an out-of-state for-profit hospital corporation. The campaign proved a case study in why showing people who you are and what you believe is the best method to build brand loyalty.
