Case Study: Kaiser Permanente Introduces Mobile Health Vehicle

Objectives

In July 2009, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii (KPH) celebrated the arrival of its Mobile Health Vehicle (MHV), the nation’s most technologically advanced medical vehicle on wheels.

McNeil Wilson Communications was enlisted to implement a media relations program to introduce the MHV to KPH members and the community-at-large and, in particular, to members and the community on the Big Island, where the vehicle was scheduled to provide service. Introduction included promoting the open houses that were held on Oahu and the Big Island, during which the general public was invited to take a tour through the vehicle.

Because the MHV was built on the mainland on a tight deadline and shipped to Hawaii immediately upon completion, the only visuals we had to provide to the media were color renderings of the vehicle’s exteriors (included in entry), which made generating media interest challenging. Although renderings were appealing, the story was more about the vehicle’s interior and the state-of-the-art equipment and services the vehicle would provide (e.g. digital mammography). Our pitching efforts which, because of the lack of images, were mostly via telephone calls, occurred while the vehicle was en route from the mainland to Hawaii.


Preparing the client for media interviews and developing talking points were an integral part of our media relations campaign with the objectives also including communicating the following key messages:

•    Kaiser Permanente is a healthcare leader, particularly in healthcare technology
•    Kaiser Permanente provides greater access to healthcare and more healthcare options
•    Kaiser Permanente partners with employers to keep workforce healthy and on the job

Audience

•    Primary – Kaiser Permanente members and community members on the Big Island
•    Secondary – Kaiser Permanente members in Hawaii
•    General – Community-at-large

Budget

•    The budget to promote this event was primarily allocated to staff hours, which were covered under the agency’s monthly retainer for PR services. 

Results

Utilizing media pitches, advisories, press releases, and a lot of follow-up, the event received a significant amount of coverage when it arrived on Oahu and, again, when it was shipped to the Big Island, where it was slated for service. All four network TV news stations (FOX, NBC, ABC, CBS), the WB station and Hawaii Public Radio covered the arrival, reaching all of the target audiences. Once the MHV was shipped to the Big Island, another TV news story on the FOX affiliate and a front-page story, with photo, ran in West Hawaii Today, one of the main dailies covering the Big Island, the primary target audience.

In 2010, McNeil Wilson Communications received a Koa Hammer award for its work on this project.