ECMC Orthopaedic Ads Win National Award Steve Christie campaign for orthopaedics
claims bronze in major competition

Buffalo, NY; May 12, 2010 - Erie County Medical Center today received a bronze medal in the 27^th Annual Aster Awards sponsored by Healthcare Marketing Report for the hospital's advertising campaign late last year featuring former Bills placekicker Steve Christie endorsing ECMC Orthopaedics. 

With more than 4,000 entries nationwide in 70 advertising and media categories, the ECMC campaign by Eric Mower and Associates' Buffalo office won the bronze medal for the largest entry group - hospitals with 500 or more beds - and in the biggest category, "Total Advertising Campaigns."   

"Our ‘Steve Christie' campaign was particularly successful in raising awareness of ECMC's first-class orthopaedic services and doctors.  It created a lot of interest and calls from new patients," said Thomas Quatroche, PhD, ECMC senior vice president of marketing, planning and business development.  "As we coordinate specialties with Great Lakes Health, ECMC will become home to a new bone health center, with expanded orthopaedic care, and we're pleased to see that this advertising campaign, when judged against those of the largest hospitals nationwide, stood out among its peers." 

The campaign, which ran in television, print, radio and Web versions last fall and early this winter, aimed at athletes and former athletes and other active people who, like Christie, remain energetic in later life.  An active life that includes skiing, gardening, home renovation and gym workouts can lead to knee, shoulder, ankle and hip, spine, hand and wrist problems and ECMC surgeons are equipped to handle all of them.

"We were pleased to collaborate with ECMC, CEO Jody Lomeo, Tom Quatroche and their premier surgeons on this notable campaign," said Doug Bean, EMA managing partner.  "Tom signed Steve Christie for us and then we all ran with it. I want to thank our creative team members for their inspiration and Steve for being such a trouper and effective spokesman." 

The advertising award competition, the oldest and largest of healthcare advertising awards, recognizes outstanding work and creative inspiration.  A national panel of judges determined the awards for "those entries that exemplify exceptional quality, creativity and message effectiveness," according to the award brief. 

Healthcare Marketing Report is widely regarded as the national newspaper of healthcare marketing.  Entries were judged on creativity, layout/design, typography, production, knowledge transfer and overall quality. 

"This campaign attracted attention because it included a well-known and respected Buffalo  Bill and community member who Western New Yorkers related easily to, both because he was  recognizable, and because  he is a now a ‘regular guy' who could experience an orthopaedic injury," Quatroche said.  "This was a great team effort and created more interest than we could have ever hoped." 

EMA's Buffalo office, ranked the region's largest by Business First, is one of the independent agency's eight nationwide.  It employs 42 people who handle accounts including HealthNow, Fisher-Price, Ford Dealers of Western New York, Transition Lenses, North American Breweries/Labatt and National Fuel Gas.           

MORE ABOUT ERIE COUNTY MEDICAL CENTER:

The ECMC Corporation includes an advanced academic medical center (ECMC) with 550 inpatient beds and 136 skilled-nursing-home beds, on- and off-campus health centers, more than 40 outpatient specialty care clinics and the Erie County Home, a skilled nursing facility. ECMC is the regional center for trauma, burn care, rehabilitation and is a major teaching facility for the University at Buffalo. Most ECMC physicians, dentists and pharmacists are dedicated faculty members of the university. More Western New York residents are choosing ECMC for exceptional patient care and customer service provided as a result of its Culture of Care. 

MORE ABOUT ERIC MOWER AND ASSOCIATES

EMA is an integrated marketing communications agency with specialized expertise in business-to-business marketing, public relations and public affairs, consumer advertising, brand promotion and digital/direct/relationship marketing. With offices in Charlotte, N.C.; Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany, N.Y.; Atlanta, Ga.; and Sarasota, Fla., plus a service office in Los Angeles, EMA serves clients throughout the United States. EMA also serves many of its clients through IN, a worldwide network of leading independent advertising agencies in more than 90 countries. EMA belongs to the American Association of Advertising Agencies and IPREX, a worldwide partnership of independent public relations firms. EMA has 250 professionals and estimated 2009 capitalized billings of $220 million. Visit http://www.mower.com/for more information.

NEWS CONTACT: Tom Quatroche: 716-898-5503 or tquatroc@ecmc.edu