LOS ANGELES Sansum Clinic is launching the largest ad initiative in its 85-year history as a major competitor, Kaiser Permanente, prepares to open in Ventura County.
In-house produced radio and print break this week, following a teaser campaign in September, hinting that the Sansum Santa Barbara (Calif.) Medical Foundation Clinic would simplify its name to the Sansum Clinic. Television launched several weeks ago.
"It's not simply about a name change but a true branding strategy, following a year of strategic planning and examination of the perspectives of consumers in the marketplace," said Ana Drucker, vice president of marketing and development at Sansum. "We found that people were unclear about the healthcare system here. Thirty percent thought we were part of the [Cottage] hospital facility. So even though we are one of the largest specialty clinics between San Francisco and Los Angeles, there had not been any distinctive branding between the facilities."
The rebranding effort included updating the company's logo, which went from a "stylized caduceus," as Drucker described it, to a "vibrant blue and green, forward-looking logo."
Print ads breaking now through November show, for example, a boy's face against a white background, with the headline "My Doctor & Sansum Clinic" and subheads "For my knee stitches. For my sister's heart murmur. For my new brother." There is an execution for an elderly Asian lady and a Latino in his 20s.
Radio breaking this week has voiceover over library music: "Do you know us? As we near a close to this first century of medical excellence, we begin with a new name ... From here on you'll know us simply as Sansum Clinic." The spot ends with the tag and references the Web site.
Print presents a variety of people "living well and living healthy," Drucker said. "The ads show that you can go to Sansum Clinic for everything from asthma and mammograms, to skin care and dad's prostate exam." The tagline: "For your good health." The effort will run through year's end, then be "tweaked and expanded for another six months," she said.
The entire branding effort will cost around $600,000, Drucker said, noting that the budget spreads out well in the "112th media market in the country. Around here, it's a dollar a holler." That's good, she added, because Santa Barbara permits almost no outdoor.
"With Kaiser moving into the county for the first time, there is a chance that patients will have a choice between substantial healthcare facilities," Drucker said.