SHARPEN YOUR HEALTHCARE MARKETING

The Client

A global medical device manufacturer specializing in surgical instruments to treat atrial fibrillation.

The Challenge

Their brand was defined in very functional terms (high quality, low failure rates, technically sound) They needed a refresh to reflect the fast-paced, progressive company they had become and bring out their “why.”

Our Solution

We first completed an in-depth marketing audit and met with senior leadership to conduct research and interviews to gain a complete understanding of the company’s product offerings, strengths and client perceptions. They offered an excellent product that was unique in the industry, so the functional benefits were easy to define. We also helped them look deeper into how physicians felt about using their products and guided them in considering the benefits to patients and their families.

We identified a strong emotional side of their brand: bringing confidence and peace of mind to physicians as they helped to reduce a global epidemic and heal the lives impacted by the condition they treated. We then developed a new brand promise that balanced both functional and emotional benefits, along with the message track, brand voice and tone to guide all communications.

The Results

Our clinical care-based message track and positioning resonated with physicians, clinicians, employees and patients. Cardiologist awareness jumped from 29% to 55% in the two-year period fol lowing the brand update. The company has continued to grow at a rapid pace, exceeding client expectations with a crisp, clean brand that clearly highlights their mission. The positioning statement we developed helped employees connect emotionally to what they do beyond manufacturing a device and training physicians. It became such a point of pride internally that the client has the positioning statement showcased on their boardroom wall.

The Client

An international medical device company innovating precision surgical and aesthetic procedures.

The Challenge

The company had strong technology but a familiar MedTech problem: how do you connect proven products with more specialists across more fields, like dermatology and otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat medicine), when your competitors are making similar claims?

Our Solution

We started with the people who’d actually be using the messaging every day: the client’s sales force. Stakeholder interviews surfaced what mattered most to the specialists they were trying to reach, and a brand audit gave us the full picture of how the brand was showing up (and where the story was getting lost). We combined the two into key messages built specifically to give sales teams language that actually differentiates, not just describes.

The Results

A library of collateral and product messaging that gives the client’s sales staff the tools to clearly articulate what makes their products superior and helps the end user understand why it matters to them.

The Client

A comprehensive audiology practice with multiple locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio area.

The Challenge

Their website, social media and marketing materials leaned on generic copy and stock-style visuals, which aligned more with the efforts of a retailer than a healthcare provider. The result was a disconnect; none of the client’s content reflected the clinic’s real expertise, depth of care or the personal relationships their team had built with patients over years of practice.

Our Solution

We led a complete re-brand, refreshing the client’s website, social media, logo and collateral materials. Research helped us understand how the clinic was actually being perceived versus how they wanted to be perceived, and that gap became the starting point for a new positioning strategy centered on audiology expertise rather than retail transaction.

We repositioned the clinic to reflect what it truly was: a healthcare provider grounded in clinical expertise and genuine patient relationships. Original copy writing and photography featuring the clinic’s own team and audiology experts brought that positioning to life across every touchpoint, replacing generic messaging with an authentic, human story.

The Results

The re-brand drove real growth. Website sessions increased by 68%, Facebook reach grew by 150% and the clinic saw increased patient volume as a direct result of this new traffic and engagement.

The Client

One of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic health care systems in the United States, operating over 50 hospitals and more than 1,200 sites of care.

The Challenge

The client was the first in Greater Cincinnati to unveil the Leksell Gamma Knife® Perfexion™, a genuinely life-extending cancer treatment. But new technology only matters if people know it exists. We needed to build awareness of both the treatment and the excellent cancer care behind it.

Our Solution

We didn’t lead with an external campaign. We started inside the organization, with an internal event, presentations and digital newsletters, so employees understood and believed in the story before anyone else heard it. From there, we shifted outward, focusing on brand positioning, key messaging, a media relations campaign and a coordinated lecture and open house to bring the technology to the public.

The Results

More than 200 employees attended the internal events. Consumer preference for the client’s oncology services improved nine percentage points from the previous year, and they exceeded their proforma, successfully treating 125 patients within nine months of the Gamma Knife® introduction.

The Client

One of the nation’s top five children’s hospitals.

The Challenge

The client’s physicians were treating complex, unique cases that most pediatricians nationwide never encountered, and the hospital wanted to leverage this to grow referrals. That meant communicating credibly with a difficult audience to impress: physician sub-specialists who resonate with precision over marketing efforts.

Our Solution

We worked directly with marketing leadership and interviewed physicians and healthcare experts to gather the clinical details that actually matter to a specialist reader. From that research, we wrote more than 30 highly technical case studies and research profiles, then built and managed a 28-piece direct mail campaign to bring those stories to physicians nationwide, overseeing design, printing and fulfillment along the way.

The Results

Over two years, the campaign became a favorite among the physicians it reached and earned praise internally, all while we brought project costs down 16% overall.

The Client

One of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic health care systems in the United States, operating over 50 hospitals and more than 1,200 sites of care and employing nearly 60,000 associates.

The Challenge

The client’s system had evolved. Their brand hadn’t caught up. They needed a new brand and image that actually reflected the scale and sophistication they had grown into within their local healthcare market.

Our Solution

We worked alongside marketing leadership and a team of digital and design experts to develop and analyze market research, uncovering the system’s real strengths and weaknesses, along with how it was actually perceived versus how it wanted to be seen. From there, we built messaging that was compelling, believable and true to the system’s value proposition, then tested new logo concepts with consumers to confirm they reflected the new positioning before launching across every physical and digital environment.

The Results

The new brand significantly improved overall awareness, attitudes and opinions about the client’s system, driving new volume and revenue across multiple categories and creating a cohesive physical and digital impression that reflected the true quality of care behind it.

The Client

A global medical device manufacturer specializing in surgical instruments to treat atrial fibrillation.

The Challenge

The client delivered excellent, convenient care, but too many people in their community simply didn’t know they existed. Even worse, the people who were familiar with them often didn’t realize the full scope of what they offered. Awareness of dental and mental health services was especially low, meaning they weren’t getting credit, or patients, for services people in their community genuinely needed.

Our Solution

We started where the SHARP Method always starts: with truth rather than assumptions. Market research helped us understand what the community actually knew (and didn’t know) about the client. A competitive review showed us how they stacked up against other care options in the region. And a deep-dive communication audit revealed the gap between their actual capabilities and how clearly (or not) they were being communicated.

From there, we built a messaging strategy and developed two campaign concepts, ultimately landing on a single, human-centric idea: one point of care to feel better. We then built a full go-to-market plan including TV, print, outdoor and digital creative to bring that idea to life across the channels where the client’s community would actually see it.

The Results

In 2023, we produced three commercials and ran them across broadcast TV and YouTube. The campaign worked; approximately 17% of the client’s new patients cited the advertising as a reason they sought care. In 2024, we followed with a targeted outdoor and digital campaign that generated approximately 242,000 impressions and 4,100 click-throughs, at an average cost of $0.25 per click.

The Client

A large not-for-profit regional health care provider operating four hospitals and more than 70 outpatient locations.

The Challenge

Our client had two years of marketing data that a busy, stretched-thin team had let pile up. Their philosophy was clear: if you can’t measure it meaningfully, you probably shouldn’t be investing in it. But getting back on track required more time and expertise than the internal team had available.

Our Solution

Our team kicked things off face-to-face at their headquarters, aligning on the client’s vision and the metrics that actually mattered to the organization’s goals. From there, we organized existing data sets, streamlined new data collection and built a custom dashboard that showed, clearly and consistently, how marketing efforts were moving the needle.

The Results

A custom 19-page report and metrics dashboard that gave the client’s team the insight they needed to make confident decisions during a period of limited internal resources.

The Client

One of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic health care systems in the United States, operating over 50 hospitals and more than 1,200 sites of care.

The Challenge

Upon launching The Heart Institute, the client was finalizing a multi-year sponsorship with the American Heart Association. A new brand and a new partnership only work if the people delivering care every day understand them, live them and are proud of them. The client needed their employees to be the first believers.

Our Solution

We built a new “My Heart. My Life.” platform grounded in consumer research, then developed the marketing strategy and led the internal rollout. That meant an internal toolkit, a new brand promise and identity, rollout meetings across the organization and a letter from the CEO announcing the change directly to employees.

The Results

The new identity and communications tools were met with overwhelmingly positive employee feedback, and consumer preference for The Heart Institute grew through the AHA partnership. The work also earned the client the 2012 AMA Marketer of the Year award in the nonprofit category and the Innovators Award from National Research Corporation.