OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY - THE JAMES
ADVANCING THE MISSION TO CREATE A CANCER-FREE WORLD
Early detection saves lives. But only if patients actually show up.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center came to us with a clear mandate: get more women scheduled for mammograms at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center. Not awareness. Not impressions. Appointments on the books and patients in the door.
THE CHALLENGE
One of the nation’s premier academic medical centers. A new state-of-the-art cancer hospital. And a community of patients who needed to be reached, motivated, and moved to act.
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center came to us with a specific and urgent need — increase mammography scheduling at The James Comprehensive Cancer Center. Early detection saves lives, but only if patients show up. The campaign had to do more than raise awareness; it had to change behavior.
As the senior Account Services lead, I served as the primary strategic and client-facing partner, translating objectives into campaign briefs, coordinating with cross-functional agency teams, and ensuring every execution delivered against measurable outcomes.
THE STAKES
Healthcare marketing operates at the intersection of brand trust and human behavior. Messaging that feels generic gets ignored. Messaging that feels personal and urgent moves people to schedule appointments, show up, and act. Getting it right meant lives impacted. Getting it wrong meant missed opportunities for early detection and treatment.
THE APPROACH
The mammography campaign was built around a single truth — there is no routine breast cancer, because every cancer (no matter where located) is as unique as the person seeking preventative care and/or treatment.
And while early detection is the most powerful tool available in the fight against breast cancer, cancer treatment doesn’t stop there. As a comprehensive cancer center, breast cancer treatment also includes reconstruction.
Every message, across every channel, was designed to make that truth feel personal, urgent, and actionable for women in the Columbus, Ohio market.
THE OUTCOMES
The campaign performed beyond expectations:
49%
increase in mammography scheduling – a record high
35%
growth in clinical volumes
32%
year-over-year net revenue growth
The campaign also gained industry recognition, taking top prizes at multiple award shows.
BEST OF SHOW
31st Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards
GOLD
31st Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards
GOLD
Cancer Awareness Advertising Awards
BRONZE
30th Annual Healthcare Advertising Awards
The results did what great healthcare marketing rarely does — they compounded. OSU didn’t just renew the engagement. They expanded it significantly.
THE JAMES MAMM-O-GRAM APP
Capitalizing on the powerful “fight cancer” energy after a Breast Cancer walk or run, the James Mamm-O-Gram app is a digital tool for the James’ event teams to allow women (and men) to record a video message to themselves or a loved one to be sent to them as a reminder when it is time to book their next mammogram.
EXPANDING THE RELATIONSHIP
On the strength of The James mammography campaign, The Ohio State University awarded us a substantially broader scope of work, including a full rebuild of the Wexner Medical Center website and digital ecosystem, brand campaigns for the launch of the new multi-billion dollar cancer hospital, targeted service line campaigns across brain and spine care, sports medicine, heart care, and prostate cancer, plus an internal employee appreciation campaign designed to strengthen culture and retention.
Cancer Service Line Campaign
Brain & Spine Care Campaign
Internal Employee Appreciation Campaign
We also developed two campaigns that required a fundamentally different strategic approach: a student recruitment campaign targeting top-performing high school seniors nationwide, plus a nurse recruitment campaign with an ambitious goal: hire 60 additional nurse practitioners, nurse managers, and critical care and emergency nurses.
Nurse Recruitment Campaign
DEEPENING THE IMPACT
The overhauled website and digital ecosystem delivered positive results immediately:
27%
year-over-year increase in time on site and page
39%
year-over-year increase in average time on site
12%
year-over-year decrease in bounce rates
The subsequent campaigns were also decisive:
- 970 applicants generated for nursing roles – far exceeding the hiring target.
- All promoted service lines reached at or near capacity following their respective campaigns.
FREE MARKETING CONSULTATION
Ready to talk?
Thirty minutes. No pitch deck.
Just an honest conversation about your goals.
DISCLAIMER
The case studies, brand assets, campaign materials, and creative work displayed in this portfolio were produced during the course of professional engagements as a contractor, consultant, or agency representative. All trademarks, logos, brand identities, and associated intellectual property displayed herein are the exclusive property of their respective owners.
This portfolio is intended solely for the purpose of demonstrating professional capabilities, creative contributions, and strategic marketing experience to prospective clients and employers. No endorsement by, or affiliation with, any featured brand or organization is implied or should be inferred.
All work-for-hire projects were completed under contractual agreement. Intellectual property ownership, as applicable, resides with the commissioning client in accordance with the terms of those engagements. Display of this work does not constitute a claim of ownership over any featured brand assets or creative deliverables.
Confidential or proprietary information has been omitted or generalized where required by non-disclosure agreements or client confidentiality obligations.