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UofL Health: Brown Cancer Center

Challenge

UofL Health-Brown Cancer Center is the region’s cancer-care leader. As an academic research institution, it’s seen as home to real experts in the field, and it scores exceptionally highly in quality-care measures.

But this same strength also created a perception problem. Because UofL Health-Brown Cancer Center’s treatment is so advanced, it receives the toughest cases: often, the cases where other efforts have failed.

With three locations and a fourth under construction at UofL South Hospital, patient volume hasn’t been an issue. Instead, it’s the fact that cancer kills nearly 10,000 Kentuckians each year.

So for the Center, helping audiences see that taking advantage of the most innovative care sooner can create much better outcomes has been – literally – a matter of life and death.

Solution

Research, patient interviews, and experience gave us psychological insights about cancer fears, and about the complexities of established physician relationships. We knew it was important to reassure prospective patients while we invited them to take charge of their health.

How to achieve this? Introduce them to people who had done that very thing, and are now living their best lives because of it.

We created a “real success stories” campaign featuring UofL Health-Brown Cancer Center patients. In many cases, these people had been told they had only months to live – but now they’re thriving years later, and in some cases, are completely cancer-free.

The overarching message was “We bring hope to life.” The campaign had two different calls-to-action: “Early detection is the best protection,” which invited patients to take advantage of the Center’s cancer screening, and “Ask for a second (or first) opinion,” which promoted the Center’s expertise.

By including QR codes in the print ads, we linked viewers to individual patient-story web pages where they could learn more, further personalizing the experience.

Results

Between October 2024 and January 2025, these stories were shared via a mix of traditional (TV, radio, outdoor, print) and digital media (social, display, YouTube, SEM) to deliver:

  • 125M+ traditional media impressions in the Louisville DMA
  • 44K+ digital clicks 
  • 548 conversions at a cost per conversion well below industry standards
    Conversions were tracked via form fills on the campaign landing page, and trackable calls to the Center, demonstrating strong engagement and patient interest.

And at the end of the campaign?

  • A 40% increase in referrals, and more patients with cancer as a chapter in life, but not a final one.

Research, understanding, insight, and empathy. That’s the power of great marketing.

More Work