1) Novant Health is an integrated healthcare system serving 4 million patients annually across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. 2) In 2012, Novant Health introduced MAKOplasty, a minimally invasive knee resurfacing procedure, and hired a marketing firm to educate the public about its benefits over traditional knee replacement surgery. 3) The marketing campaign utilized both digital and traditional tactics like social media, paid search ads, print ads, and a video testimonial to generate awareness of MAKOplasty and drive patients to free educational seminars about the procedure.

1. MAKOplasty®
case study
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3. About Novant Health
Novant Health is an integrated system of physician clinics, outpatient
centers and hospitals serving a four-state region spanning Virginia
to Georgia. It serves more than 4 million patients annually through its
network of 1,200 physicians and 26,000 employees working in nearly
500 care locations. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, NC, Novant Health
is committed to making healthcare remarkable for its patients and
improving the overall health and wellness of its communities.
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Case study

4. MAKOplasty®
integrated
marketing campaign
Deliverables
• SEM/PPC keyword
and display ads
• Email marketing
• Social media marketing
• Video production
• Print advertising
• Direct mail
• Outdoor
• Print collateral
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Case study

5. Project background
In 2012, Novant Health introduced MAKOplasty®
partial knee resurfacing
at two of its regional medical centers, placing them among a select group
of facilities nationwide to offer the procedure at that time. MAKOplasty®
is a highly innovative, minimally invasive alternative to knee replacement
surgery that offers less pain, a shorter hospital stay and faster recovery
time than traditional methods. Novant Health enlisted ABZ Creative
Partners to develop and implement a strategic marketing campaign to
educate the public about the benefits of MAKOplasty®
, target prospective
patients and move them through the decision funnel, and further advance
Novant Health’s position as a leader in high-tech patient care.
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Case study

6. Integrated strategy
Candidates for MAKOplasty®
are typically males and females ages 55
and older; however, the procedure can also benefit younger patient
populations such as athletes and individuals with occupations known for
overuse injuries. Given the broad demographic spectrum, the plan needed
to include both traditional and emerging channels to achieve maximum
reach, message effectiveness and audience engagement. The primary call
to action across the entire campaign directed audience members to attend
a free educational seminar to learn more about the procedure, and how it
could alleviate their knee pain issues.
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Case study

7. Your marketing communication zealots
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Digital marketing
Highly targeted, hyper-relevant
content delivered through a
mix of channels with real-time
results allowed us to adjust the
messaging and optimize the
spend every step of the way.

8. Tactics
SEM/PPC keyword and display ads
Using paid keywords and display ads, we
reached target audience members as they
were actively searching online for solutions
to their knee pain. The ads directed them to
a special landing page about MAKOplasty®
and promoted the free seminars.
Remarketing
The buying cycle for a specialized surgical
procedure like MAKOplasty®
can be lengthy.
Even when a prospective patient shows interest,
it can take months or even years before he or
she is ready to move forward. We employed
remarketing strategies to keep our message in
front of target audience members who showed
initial interest by visiting the MAKOplasty®
landing
page. Following their visit to the page, they were
served up specially created ads as they visited
other websites.
Email marketing
E-blasts were deployed to target audience
members with specially selected demographic
and psychographic profiles. Well-crafted
content informed recipients of the benefits
of MAKOplasty®
and directed them to attend
an upcoming seminar.
Social media marketing
Like other digital channels, social media allows
for very targeted message delivery; however
its ability to make a message go viral can extend
the budget of any campaign. Through micro
ads and sponsored content, we leveraged the
power of social media to create awareness and
drive engagement.
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Case study

9. Traditional marketing
Traditional, offline tactics
served an integral role in
the campaign by delivering
effective content paired with
compelling visuals.
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Case study

10. Tactics
Outdoor POS signage
Through the use of outdoor, as well as POS
signage, we spread the MAKOplasty®
message
in high traffic areas, promoting the website and
call center number where the target audience
could learn more about the procedure and the
free seminars.
Print advertising
Several versions of print ads were created and
placed in targeted publications throughout the
campaign. Key messages varied between general
awareness about the availability of MAKOplasty®
in the market to primarily promoting the free
educational seminars.
Print collateral
From patient education brochures about the
procedure to fliers promoting the seminars,
we designed support materials to help inform
prospective patients every step of the way.
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11. Your marketing communication zealots
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Making it personal
The initial phase of the campaign
primarily focused on creating
awareness of the new procedure
and its benefits. A second phase
was then developed to give the
campaign a more personalized
feel through a compelling
patient testimony.
Click video to watch at vimeo.com.

12. Tactics
Testimonial video
We created a video showcasing the story
of a high-profile member of the community, and
how MAKOplasty®
helped him return to his active
lifestyle quickly and pain free. The video featured
a high-quality blend of patient interview, active
b-roll and clinical animations to tell the story.
Custom photography
We conducted a custom photo shoot of
the featured patient to use throughout the
testimonial portion of the campaign.
Print advertising
We also developed a print ad to share the
patient’s MAKOplasty®
success story and ran
it in the market’s top publications.
SEM/PPC keyword and display ads
Using paid keywords and display ads, we shared
the patient testimony with target audience
members as they were actively searching online
for knee pain solutions.
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13. Your marketing communication zealots
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Success
The MAKOplasty®
campaign was deemed highly successful by Novant
Health. The educational seminars were consistently well attended, and
patient volumes met Novant Health’s target goals in the two markets
offering the procedure. In the smaller of the two markets, the MAKOplasty®
landing page on the Novant Health website saw approximately 800 unique
visits within two months of the campaign’s launch.