Case Study / The Hoag Institutes
For life’s most important medical challenges.
Hoag Hospital
Specialty Health Campaign
Insights | Strategy | Copywriting | Campaign Development
Hoag is a premier hospital system in Orange County, with nationally competitive institutes in cancer, cardiology, neurology, spinal and digestive health.
Built on a 70-year legacy of exceptional primary and maternity care, Hoag had evolved into a destination for specialized care but its reputation hadn’t kept pace.
The Ask: Elevate Hoag’s specialty health institutes and guide patients to world-class care close to home.
A life-altering medical diagnosis presents patients with the critical and urgent task of deciding where to seek care. Despite a preference for staying close to home, many Orange County residents were unaware of Hoag’s specialty expertise, with a prevailing belief that world-class care required a trip to Los Angeles.
This perception gap left those with complex medical conditions grappling with the tradeoffs between seeking destination care and the risks and sacrifices of travel.
In these critical moments, both an emotional and pragmatic question arose: Where do you go? By giving voice to the question patients were already asking themselves, we were able to provide a clear answer: world-class care is right here at Hoag.
The Insight
Close the perception gap and assure the recently diagnosed that they don’t have to leave Orange County to receive exceptional care. Meet patients in critical moments with empathy and clarity by amplifying Hoag’s clinical excellence and speaking to the emotional reality of a life-changing diagnosis.
Move beyond the conventions of healthcare advertising, which can feel cold and clinical or narrowly focused on a single patient story. Instead, celebrate the real doctors who make Hoag exceptional, putting a human face behind clinical excellence.
The Idea
The integrated campaign ran across digital, social, streaming, print and out-of-home and featured real Hoag doctors. A phased rollout focused first on elevating general awareness and reinforcing trust, then on educating prospective patients about the specific capabilities within each institute.
Building on Hoag’s reputation as a trusted primary care provider, the campaign repositioned the hospital system as a destination for specialty care and a respected player among major Southern California hospitals.
The Work
Client: Hoag Hospital
Agency: Blulab Brand