Challenge/Opportunity

A leading global software product and solutions provider, Misys employs approximately 6,000 professionals and serves customers in more than 120 countries. Recognizing it needed better insights into how the Healthcare Systems division was perceived by key stakeholders, the company initially engaged The Catevo Group to conduct market research on both internal and external brand perceptions. This led to additional areas of support to help improve the sales process in this division.

Solution

Catevo’s counsel and service included:

• Conducting comprehensive brand research via phone, Web and focus groups
  
  
• Producing video testimonials and packaging them into: a) iPods for event distribution; and b) CDs and accompany mailers for distribution to customers and prospects
  
  
• Writing speeches for the division’s CEO and other management team members for internal and external events
  
  
• Writing and producing customer communication pieces
  
  
• Developing and producing Flash-based brand vision pieces for internal and external events
  

Results

Catevo’s success with initial projects has created a domino effect of increasing involvement with Misys, with high-profile projects directed to both internal and external audiences. One particular external customer communication piece developed by Catevo was so well received, in fact, that comparable pieces were produced for all of Misys’ subsidiaries. Internal feedback has remained positive and increased in conjunction with the volume of work managed by Catevo on the division’s behalf.

Challenge/Opportunity

Charlotte Memorial Hospital, as it reached its half-century mark, was “second choice” in Charlotte and needed to change its image from a “county hospital” to reflect more readily its new position as a regional medical center. It also wanted to become the hospital of choice for referring physicians, yet preserve the hometown support long enjoyed by the hospital (an 800-bed facility at the time).

Solution

Results of focus groups with key stakeholders suggested a strategy centered on a new name, Carolinas Medical Center, for its main facility, and later Carolinas HealthCare System (for the umbrella organization as it began to expand beyond its original campus). An extensive outreach and creative program involved updating the existing tree-of-life logo and building acceptance from community leaders, the media, employees and physicians. Catevo developed a full graphics standards manual to integrate the new logo identification with all printed material. As CHS evolved, Catevo provided continuous support to the internal public relations and marketing staff in media relations, creation of collateral material, additional research and community relations in the various areas where it established or managed facilities.

Results

In a relatively short period of time, Carolinas Medical Center became the leading local hospital for patients and physicians alike. The change paved the way for development and acceptance of the Carolinas HealthCare System, which is the third-largest public healthcare system in the country. Carolinas Medical Center is still the flagship of the system, now an entity with facilities in multiple locations. And Catevo continues to provide research, public relations and marketing communication support for the health system, as it has for more than 20 years.

Challenge/Opportunity

Formed as a joint venture of PPD, Inc. and Axys Pharmaceuticals, PPGx, Inc. provided technical and consulting expertise in the application of emerging pharmacogenomic and bioinformatic technologies to optimize and accelerate drug discovery and development. Headquartered in North Carolina’s Research Triangle, PPGx marketed its services and products primarily to the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. In addition, the company had developed DNA test kits that identified individuals who were at risk for adverse reactions and side-effects from common medications. The kits were marketed separately to healthcare professionals and consumers. PPGx retained The Catevo Group to help develop its brand platform and to coordinate its communications to various stakeholders, including the investment community, healthcare professionals, and thought-leaders, consumers and key professional, business and mass media outlets (the executive team planned either to take the company public or attract a buyer within two years). Facing much larger, more established competitors, PPGx had few marketing dollars to invest in major advertising or marcom campaigns.

Solution

Working closely with the company scientific and executive management teams, Catevo developed a cohesive, compelling and concise message manifesto about PPGx and the promise of pharmacogenomic technology to improve drug development and prevent needless and potentially fatal drug reactions. Building on the company’s scientific publications, Catevo developed a national “concentric circles” media strategy targeting medical, business and mass media. In addition, Catevo designed and produced an investor roadshow incorporating key media campaign’s key messages and information.

Results

PPGx was featured prominently over a yearlong period in focused medical and healthcare outlets, including companion features in American Medical News, Medscape, WebMD and a cover story in Modern Healthcare, as well as business and general-interest media, including The News & Observer, Associated Press, MSNBC/Newsweek, The Washington Post and a nine-page feature article on pharmacogenomics in Fortune. When the company was purchased by DNA Sciences, PPGx’s president and CEO credited Catevo’s public relations efforts, especially the Fortune article, with boosting the company’s value by 10 percent to 14 percent.

Challenge/Opportunity

Sister to Sister: Everyone Has a Heart Foundation exists to educate women on the risks of heart disease, to provide opportunities for free heart screenings and to encourage healthy lifestyles. Each year Sister to Sister hosts a National Woman’s Heart Day Health Fair in several cities, providing free heart screenings in a fun, exciting atmosphere. Charlotte was included among the 12 cities chosen to have health fairs in 2005. Sister to Sister contracted with TBC, our WORLDCOM partner in Baltimore, to head up a team of agencies in six of the cities, and The Catevo Group was chosen as the Charlotte campaign manager. There were two factors that added complications to the 2005 program launch: National Woman’s Heart Day is set on a workday each year (since working women can rarely take time for themselves on weekends) and each city was tasked with securing in-kind donations to cover more than half of the expected event costs.

Solution

The WORLDCOM Group’s “Team TBC” worked together sharing ideas, expertise and knowledge to create localized campaigns for Sister to Sister. In Charlotte, Catevo secured the participation of 20 prominent women, including a representative from the local chapter of the American Heart Association, to serve on Charlotte’s Community Council. These women were charged with spreading the word about Sister to Sister in their own organizations and among their networks of colleagues and friends. Catevo also planned and implemented an Executive Women’s Breakfast to get local female executives excited about National Woman’s Heart Day and advocating attendance among their employees. Between the Community Council and the Executive Women’s Breakfast, all of the area’s top employers were provided with information about the campaign, posters and flyers to distribute in break rooms, a sample newsletter article, and sample e-mails to distribute to employees.

Catevo was able to secure an in-kind donation from its client contacts at The Westin Charlotte to completely cover the venue and catering costs for the Executive Women’s Breakfast. Carolinas HealthCare System, another Catevo client, provided for free its heart screening services and expert speakers at the breakfast and the health fair, as well as promotional assistance. Other in-kind donations Catevo was able to secure included 30 luxurious raffle prizes, photography at the breakfast and health fair, and promotional assistance from several local radio stations. The American Heart Association was given a free exhibit at the health fair in return for its assistance promoting the event to its constituents.

Catevo enlisted the assistance of a local news anchor to serve as MC at the breakfast and health fair. Her participation guaranteed coverage from her station, the number-one news channel in the market, but didn’t preclude coverage from other stations: All four of the primary news channels in the area covered the event. Catevo arranged for The Charlotte Observer to interview Sister to Sister’s founder, Mrs. Irene Pollin, and run a story several weeks in advance of the event. Catevo’s media campaign also achieved several mentions in local monthly magazines.

Results

The Charlotte campaign was extremely successful. Approximately 1,600 people attended the Woman’s Heart Day Health Fair in Charlotte, with 610 taking advantage of the free heart screenings. The campaign achieved approximately 5,000,000 impressions through paid and earned media, grassroots communications, and other promotional activities and came in far under budget on event expenses. Since 2005, Catevo has also served as campaign manager for the 2006 and 2007 campaigns and continues in that role for the 2008 program.