Campaign Evaluation

AnMed Health is a non-profit health care system located in the upstate of South Carolina. This organization recently caught my attention with a series of billboards lining Highway 81. Since this is a road I travel often, I was curious about the public relations motive behind this advertisement display. After some research I discovered the billboards are part of the Out of Sync campaign promoted by the marketing department of AnMed Health. The purpose of this campaign is to raise awareness within the local population of the fact that one of the region's leading heart and vascular centers is right in their own community. AnMed Health hired a new cardiologist who specializes in working with abnormal heart rhythms and the campaign was also designed to generate business on his behalf.To accomplish this goal, the Out of Sync campaign was created and executed through the distribution of print ads and a television commercial in addition to the billboard series. Media outlets utilized include an official website, Facebook and Twitter. Featured within all campaign promotions is the tagline, "We all know what it feels like to get a little out of sync. But when it's your heart, it can be a sign of a serious problem."

Although this organization has the resources and the personnel to produce a successful campaign, I believe several tools did not reach their full potential. Older individuals in need of cardiac care are the most likely to pursue further information on a heart health campaign. The billboards, print ads and commercial did not relate to this target audience. For example, one of the main images featured in the promotional materials depicted a cheerleader kneeling out of formation from the rest of the squad. The idea is to communicate a person "out of sync," but it is difficult for an older person driving down the highway to make the visual connection between people having heart problems and cheerleaders jumping out of line at the wrong time. I did not understand the purpose of the advertisement until I took the initiative to look it up for myself. In my opinion the serious nature behind the campaign was not well expressed. The TV commercial brings the billboard images to life along with other humorous scenarios, but if a person is laughing at the presentation it is unlikely that he or she will feel compelled to make an appointment for a heart screening. Cardiac care is no laughing matter, particularly for older people, and the promotional materials do not communicate the proper tone. The social media was conducted appropriately, however, and it was interesting to explore all of these aspects of health communication. Hopefully the marketing department of AnMed Health will identify these issues and produce future campaigns that are better representative of this worthy organization.  

For more information on the Out of Sync campaign visit this website: http://amc.ndandp.com/