Westerly Hospital

Location, location, location. The Westerly Hospital was in a good one. The problem was that their Mystic, Connecticut neighbors just over the border didn't know that this independent community hospital in Southwestern Rhode Island was even an option for them. Could they ever convince Connecticut residents to think of a Rhode Island hospital as their community hospital? They weren't sure. So they asked Nova Healthcare Marketing to make a run for the border.

Market

The Westerly Hospital found itself in an increasingly competitive regional healthcare market. And while a Connecticut market area was close to Westerly, its population was most often drawn to more distant Connecticut hospitals by default.

Challenge

Nova was asked to create an advertising campaign that would encourage Mystic, Connecticut residents to think of The Westerly Hospital as their community hospital, despite the fact that it was in another state.

Approach

Nova developed a series of print ads connecting well-known Mystic landmarks to the Rhode Island-based hospital. The ads reinforced the message that The Westerly Hospital was as great a part of the Mystic community as the Connecticut hospitals through its long history in that area. Nova supplemented the print ads with strategically selected billboards near the Connecticut/Rhode Island border that bore the tagline, "Great Health Care Knows No Boundaries" and copy clarifying that Connecticut insurance was accepted at The Westerly Hospital.