Surgical Institute of Reading

Operating in a challenging environment

As a physician-owned hospital in Reading, PA, Surgical Institute of Reading faced two main challenges in its service area.  First, its name made the general public think it was owned by another local hospital.  And, second, while SIR had been in existence for over two years, it still needed to clearly define and differentiate itself from other area hospitals.

The Anderson Group first met with SIR to discover its unique perspective on the physician-owned hospital industry and the specific benefits SIR brought to its patients.

We used this information, along with competitive research, to identify the emotional connection and create the messaging that would resonate with SIR’s target audience—a broad range of people who needed to have surgery.  We concluded that this audience wanted a patient-focused atmosphere focusing on personal care and attention. This emotional driver, combined with SIR’s other benefits—lower infection rates, 24-hour visitation, quick schedule times and private rooms—formed the basis for a compelling awareness campaign.

Themed “A New Kind of Hospital for Surgery,” the campaign included billboards, print, and online advertising. The goal was to drive visitors to SIR’s Web site where they could learn more about the physician-owned hospital option, which local surgeons performed surgery at SIR, and the advantages of having surgery at a physician-owned hospital.

Business impact

After the phased four-month campaign ended, the Web site had a 77% total increase in visitors with an average of 95 visitors per day, and has continued to sustain a 50% increase in visitors.  As a result of the awareness campaign, beds are now consistently filled to capacity and the hospital has fast-tracked its expansion project to meet the growing demand.