Repositioning Vassar Brothers Hospital as a regional medical center

The Challenge

When they hired Smith & Jones,Vassar Brothers Hospital was one of two community hospitals in Poughkeepsie, surrounded by several other community hospitals in contiguous communities and four major tertiary centers (Westchester Medical Center to the South, Albany Med to the North, Hartford and Yale New Haven to the East), each within easy driving distance.

While Vassar commanded 60% market share in Poughkeepsie, there was huge opportunity if they could become the preferred hospital to doctors and patients from outside Poughkeepsie who chose to go elsewhere.

Insightful Thinking

Our research showed that it was widely perceived that Vassar Brothers’ administration was far more committed to building a quality organization than its community competitors. They had successfully recruited a number of high profile physicians to practice in Poughkeepsie, where they could have a greater impact on the organization and their patients’ care than at larger, urban centers (where they would have been one of many). It became clear that there was an opportunity to reposition Vassar Brothers as a place that delivers world class medicine, in the most unlikely of places.

Meticulous Execution

The creative expression of this positioning included bold statements like "Expect Something Wonderful", "Exceptional Heart Surgery, No Exceptions", "Introducing from left to right: Hope, Hope and Hope" and "We just operated on her inoperable brain tumor."

The first service line campaign introduced Vassar Brothers’ new cardiothoracic surgery program. Before statistical results, before word-of-mouth endorsements, our simple, honest campaign built credibility and trust for the heart program. A bold cancer campaign helped to establish Vassar Brothers as the preferred provider in the region. And the maternity campaign successfully introduced Vassar Brothers’new birthing center, without benefit of facility tours or photos.

Exceptional Results

The heart campaign contributed to exceeding cardiothoracic surgery volume in the first year of the program and the addition of a second surgeon. It created a halo effect for other specialty areas, as well: Vassar Brothers’ preference share skyrocketed from 20% pre-launch to over 65% in year three of the campaign. The award-winning print, broadcast and interactive campaign for Maternity achieved 100% census within a month of the new wing opening, a quick 50% expansion of capacity and an increase in deliveries from 1,900 to 2,800 in a single year.