Case Study:
Seattle Children's
Planned and executed a go-to-market strategy for Seattle Children's Improvement & Innovation’s innovation service line.
The goal: engage the organization’s 10,000 faculty and staff members over a one-month launch period.
*The activities represented in this case study took place in the fall of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
OBJECTIVES
As part of its Improvement and Innovation Department, Seattle Children's launched its innovation service line with dedicated, full-time team members to champion the organization's goals and inspirational work. The team provides resources for staff to explore creative ideas to improve the patient and family experience.
Staff members are on the front lines, doing the most impactful work with patients and families. Therefore, they know what innovations and changes can make things even better.
With a tight timeline, Seattle Children's hired Natalie Swan, a marketing strategist, to help plan a month of activities introducing the team and its offerings to the organization.
This project's goal: launch a visible, engaging, go-to-market campaign for the new team.
The project included:
Building the marketing strategy
Coordinating with multiple external vendors
Planning events at locations across Seattle Children's clinics, main hospital, and research centers, and
Developing a marketing plan and supporting marketing assets to promote it
AT A GLANCE CHALLENGES
Build awareness for innovation offers and services among Seattle Children's faculty, staff, patients, and families
Plan and execute one month of launch activities
Manage logistics for several on-site events at varying locations
Define & create marketing assets for promotions
OUTCOMES
Engaged thousands of staff members, patients, & families
Coordinated an 11-person Innovation Team to host a variety of activities during the launch
Hosted 15+ events at nine different locations
100 online innovative idea submissions for the new team to explore
SOLUTIONS
Built marketing strategy and implementation roadmap for the launch, including developing a communication plan, coordinating events at multiple locations, and determining required marketing channels
Aligned Improvement & Innovation team members on the plan, with training sessions, actionable instructions, resource packets, and clear timelines
Recommended, organized, and created required content, including promotional materials, signage, direct outreach messages, and broadcast emails
Managed external vendor relationships & deliverables to ensure brand continuity and met deadlines
Maintained inventory of marketing promotional items, including giveaways, signage, custom-built event installations, and other supplies
RESULTS & BENEFITS
Staff Partnership & Involvement
As a result of the campaign, Seattle Children's faculty and staff members submitted 100 innovative ideas to the team’s new online portal in the first month.
In addition, the team received much feedback on the excitement around the launch. Faculty and staff members shared their appreciation for the broad footprint, which prioritized showing up for them at their workplace.
Patient & Family Awareness of Program
By visiting Seattle Children's locations and hosting 15+ events, many patients and families learned of and met the innovation team. This reinforced and emphasized the organization's commitment to being better every day.
Continued Marketing Momentum
The successful campaign led Seattle Children's to sign a one-year contract extension with Natalie. The new project's goal, which continued supporting innovation and its work, was to build on the marketing momentum through content creation, key messaging, and brand strategy.
“Natalie brought a well-rounded and intentional marketing approach to the needs of our innovation launch campaign. From start to finish, she helped us develop and execute a strategy that was authentic for our audience and on-brand for our organization. She seamlessly felt like part of the team, and we were grateful for her contributions to our initiatives.”
Devin Prenevost
Sr. Director, Innovation & System Support Services | Seattle Children’s
