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2020 MHSCN Spotlight

Congratulations to our winners!

spotlight shines on MHSCN logo

Winners of the 2020 MHSCN Spotlight were honored at a showcase on Dec. 10, 2020.

Thank you!

Thank you to all those who submitted MHSCN Spotlight entries. You provide strong examples of the high-quality strategic planning, marketing, public relations and communications work happening across our state every day, even during challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic.

MHSCN Spotlight Champion: North Memorial Health

North Memorial Health was honored as MHSCN Spotlight champion for its Safer campaign, which aimed to help educate and empower the health system’s team members and community around COVID-19 practices.

Safer Work Environment Initiative (Safer) was a systemwide approach implemented from the inside out. North Memorial Health’s internal marketing team and creative agency, BrandFire, worked together to develop an internal campaign with actionable advice for team members to evolve processes and protocols to protect patients and colleagues. Rather than using standard safety messages, the team leveraged the North Memorial Health brand personality to create team member resource kits, intranet guidelines and internal communication materials including systemwide signage that educated on best practices (masking, hand hygiene, social distancing and symptom screening) with friendliness and creativity.

The Safer campaign included lively, colorful safety characters such as an octopus reminding staffers to wash their hands and a tuxedoed gentleman touting the fact that “masks are SO IN this season.” The tone was deliberately one of inclusiveness and empathy. It was important to offset the seriousness of the situation with a sense of compassion and understanding of the emotional states of those receiving the message.

The campaign was an internal success and quickly transitioned into an external campaign that welcomed our community to North Memorial Health’s facilities with confidence to get the care they need. Messaging was included on-premise signage and social distancing reminders, complete with a friendly llama character, as well as large wall murals, elevator wraps and window clings. The health system also launched a full marketing campaign that included billboards, :30 and :15 second television spots, print ads, bus wraps, social media posts, audio and targeted digital ads, garnering more than 81 million traditional and digital media impressions.

The rollout of Safer was met with enthusiasm and appreciation from team members, patients and families. The flexibility of the approach has enabled North Memorial Health to pivot messaging and adapt to the changing climate such as moving from a masking focus one month, to Safer virtual visits the next, to staying Safer this flu season. By approaching even the most daunting challenges with agility, creativity and empathy, North Memorial Health was able to turn a crisis into an opportunity to deepen relationships with team members and customers alike.

MHSCN Spotlight Award Winner: Lake Region Healthcare

Lake Region Healthcare was honored as a MHSCN Spotlight award winner for its We’re Ready for That campaign, which aimed to inspire patients to return to receive health care while reassuring the community that the hospital was prepared to care for all patients.

We’re Ready for That was designed by Lake Region Healthcare in partnership with creative agency Hailey Sault to speak directly to community audiences, providing hope and confidence while also informing them about what to expect on their return to Lake Region Healthcare. Knowing that COVID-19 may have caused community members to delay care for themselves or their families and adopt less healthy habits such as not getting their usual exercise, binge watching or eating and drinking more, Lake Region Healthcare wanted to help empower its community with a clear path toward health and care.

Primary audiences for the campaign were existing patients who may have delayed care – such as vaccinations and well child visits, screenings and chronic disease care, and orthopedic surgeries like joint replacement – along with the community as a whole.

The campaign included accessible and appealing digital and print imagery that was vibrant, energetic and welcoming. The campaign also used the voices of trusted community caregivers, including individual providers, nurses and other care providers, in audio and video spots to reassure the community with a unified message: “We are ready.”

Media outlets for the campaign included Facebook and Instagram, programmatic display ads and video, Spotify, print ads in local newspapers, radio, and static and digital outdoor billboards. A landing page was also developed and utilized for additional tracking of the campaign. Analytics indicated successful ad performance across platforms that yielded a 22.58% increase in website users and a 29.93% increase in new website users.

By sharing reassuring messages from trusted messengers, Lake Region Healthcare enabled its community to confidently seek health care during COVID-19.

MHSCN Spotlight Award Winner: Curious, Inc.

Curious, Inc., was honored as a MHSCN Spotlight award winner for its COVID-19 response campaign for client Alomere Health, which aimed to provide the community with clear and reassuring information on how to be safe and access health care during COVID-19.

As COVID-19 reached Central Minnesota, all eyes were on the largest county employer and health care provider to lead. Alomere Health moved quickly to organize health care staff for an effective response, including a communitywide effort to sew over 10,000 masks for health care workers, patients and elder care residents. As Alomere Health’s communication partners, Curious initiated an inspirational “Community Strong” campaign on the hospital’s social media platforms to highlight all of the amazing eff¬orts of their staff¬ and community. This campaign changed the conversation from “Emergency!” to “We are stronger together.”

Once the first phase of communication was in place, Alomere Health asked Curious to help community members resume accessing health care by communicating about easy-to-use telemedicine visits as well as the extensive safety protocols in place for clinic visits. This strategy reduced the fear of getting help for those who needed input from a doctor or nurse. From a highly targeted digital strategy, to long-form magazine articles, to newspaper and social media, clinic visits increased as communication increased. Analytics showed that digital marketing reached 80% of the population and increased organic website click-throughs from social media by more than 3800%.

Alomere Health knew that as statewide quarantine orders loosened, its screening expertise would be helpful for local businesses preparing for returning customers and employees. Curious launched the Safe@Work initiative off¬ering on-site or phone consultation for customizing workplace safety protocols. In addition, Alomere Health o¬ffers larger businesses on-site screening for employees coming into work.

The COVID-19 response campaign demonstrated Alomere Health’s influence in its community, as well as the community’s investment in its hospital. By being nimble and executing communications quickly, Alomere Health was able to lead a serious response to COVID-19 while helping its community remain informed and retain access to care.


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