Griffin Health

Introduction

As Griffin Health entered a new age in population healthcare in Connecticut, it selected GEM Advertising to handle all of its communications and marketing for the multiple locations and service lines that comprised the Griffin Health system.

Competing with Yale-New Haven Health to the South and both Midstate and Hartford Health in the North, Griffin knew it needed to declare leadership within its territory in order to grow its market share and compete with the larger budgets of its competitors.

To create campaigns that perfectly addressed Griffin’s different market segments, GEM began with a full brand audit, identity, and communications plan. First, GEM conducted focus groups of Griffin’s various constituents to discover why patients choose Griffin over other healthcare providers and uncover what truly makes Griffin unique. Then, GEM’s senior executive strategy team wrote a comprehensive communications plan outlining the brand positioning, go-to-market strategies, and even internal communications initiatives that could help Griffin increase its notoriety and market share.

The Brand Strategy

Griffin’s new brand positioning was based on one simple truth: When healthcare teams give better care, patients get better. And no one in the region cared more about the patient experience than Griffin Health.

Thus, Griffin’s brand positioning statement was born:

With this new tagline, Griffin’s campaigns centered on the fact that better care doesn’t always depend on the latest technology — it also depends on the old-fashioned idea of one human caring for another. As a brand focused on improving population health, Griffin’s role was to encourage this exchange... empowering people and advancing care.

Integrated Marketing Approach

Using GEM’s unique Storm of Awareness™, GEM launched an omnichannel approach that included television, radio, print, public relations, search, display, social media, and platform development.

On television and radio, GEM’s production team filmed Griffin’s CEO, Pat Charmel, in 15-second segments promoting basic ideas about getting healthy. While other CEOs never appeared in their marketing, GEM knew Griffin could stand out by putting its top executive in the spotlight to say, simply, Griffin cares about you:

Innovation

Exercise

Stress

Smoking

In addition, GEM created long-form 60- and 90-second spots to tell a deeper story about the patient experiences at Griffin, using real patients to increase authenticity and trust:

Orthopedic Care

Having a Baby

Knee Surgery

In print and public relations, GEM facilitated multiple interviews with local television personalities to humanize the brand and help the public get to know the folks working in Griffin’s multiple locations and service lines.

In digital media, GEM segmented each audience by service line - including,

Occupational Medicine & Rehabilitation Services
Childbirth
Bariatrics
Urology

and each segment received a separate campaign with hypertargeted messaging and specific landing pages to create proper funnels for prospective patients.

One Billion Steps Facebook Social Media Campaign

One Billion Steps Digital Campaign

One Billion Steps

In a location where other hospitals outspend Griffin by a factor of ten, GEM knew it had to get innovative to put Griffin on the map. That’s why, in 2018, GEM launched One Billion Steps - an initiative to get CT residents out and walking more. Sponsored by Griffin Health, the One Billion Steps app was produced in partnership with Under Armour, and connected directly to residents’ step trackers or cell phones.

Once users created a free account, their steps were automatically logged into the central system, which displayed team rankings, weekly top steppers, and more. Users could create teams or walk alone, and engaged via the One BIllion Steps social channels to get content about health and wellness.

In addition, GEM partnered with the local ABC Affiliate, WTNH, to update its news viewers daily on the number of steps CT residents were logging, and Griffin Health was able to take credit for helping its population get healthier.

GEM’s outdoor campaign for Griffin Faculty Physicians

GEM’s outdoor campaign for Griffin Childbirth Center

Various Griffin Print Campaign Pieces

Griffin Van Wrap Design

Results

Griffin’s campaign rolled out statewide in 2017, 2018, and into 2019, gaining millions of traditional, digital, experiential and press impressions. In partnership with WTNH - the local ABC affiliate - Griffin’s doctors were featured on morning shows, and One Billion Steps became part of nightly news coverage with Griffin leading the way in population health.

GEM began its relationship with Griffin Health in 2016 with an audit, corporate identity and comprehensive communications plan.

In 2016, net patient revenue was $168,109,274
2017: $178,017,197, an increase of $9,907,923
2018 - $196,291,315, an increase of $18,274,118, giving Griffin one of the highest operating margins in the state at 10.27%

Gross Patient Revenue saw huge gains, increasing $49,585,136 from 2017 to 2018, an 8.51% increase to a total of $632,095,993 in 2018.

Inpatient Gross Revenue alone grew by $11,893,951, while Outpatient Gross Revenue rose by $37,691,186 from 2017 to 2018.