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Midwest Media Opps:  Ascension Health rebrands, launches largest ad campaign to date

Subject: TV, digital, radio, print, OOH, social media

Company: Ascension Health, headquartered in St. Louis, MO, is a health services company that operates a network of hospitals and health facilities throughout the United States.

Opportunity: Recently announced that it will be launching its largest advertising and marketing campaign to rebrand all of its hospitals. The rebrand will begin with its Michigan and Wisconsin-based facilities and hospitals (these two states account for 32% of Ascension's overall patient revenue) and eventually move its way throughout the rest of the country. According to CEO Anthony Tersigni, the effort will position Ascension as a system that offers care locally, but with the clinical and financial backing of the nations's largest non-profit hospital. 

The new branding campaign is set to launch next week and will run for up to 18 months, according to CMO Nick Ragone. Intended to raise awareness, the fully-integrated campaign will run across TV, radio, print, billboards, paid search and social media. Furthermore, Tersigni said the marketing campaign reflects new national clinical offerings that Ascension patients are beginning to see, such as linking its hospitals, physicians and clinicians for services like telemedicine, which can make clinical expertise available to patients everywhere. 

Ascension worked with several Omnicom agencies for the rebranding push, including Critical Mass aided the company's digital marketing.

In addition to the hospitals rebranding, it has also been reorganized into two divisions: healthcare and a solutions division, that will house business, purchasing and investing. In this reorganization, Ascension promoted EVP Bob Henkel to the new CEO of the healthcare division, while the company continues its search for a new head of its solutions division.

With that said, although there may not be agency opportunities available tied to the current campaign, as the company continues to define leadership roles and promote growth in its newly-divided businesses, agencies with healthcare experience should begin engaging decision makers to be top of mind as each business continues to grow. 

On the same note, sellers should be reaching out now to pick up any current campaign revenue as it becomes available. Focus your pitch around high ROI engagement, particularly in the hospital's top Michigan and Wisconsin markets. 

Additional Insight

Digital Breakdown: Per Pathmatics, Ascension has spent $102,100 on 47 desktop ads this year (29.7 million impressions). The bulk of these ads were run from April to June. While 31% of these ads were placed site direct, the remainder was divided among SiteScout (35%) and Google AdX + AdSense (34%). Top desktop destinations have included: youtube.com, citationmachine.com, easybib.com and realtor.com. 

Ascension spent an additional $10,700 on three video ads, as well (744,500 impressions). The video ads were run only during April and were placed only through Google AdX + AdSense. Mobile accounted for the smallest portion of the company's display, spending $1,000 on eight ads (205,100 impressions).

Ascension Health
P.O. Box 45998
St. Louis, MO 63145
(314) 733-8000

Nick Ragone
SVP, Chief Marketing & Communications Officer
(314) 733-8000
nick.ragone@ascension.org

Steve Mamanella
Senior Director, Marketing & Communications
(314) 733-6940
smamanella@ascension.org