Challenge
Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford sets the bar for pediatric care in Silicon Valley and worldwide. Started almost 100 years ago, with its humble beginnings as a children’s convalescent hospital on the Stanford campus, the hospital was reimagined as a state-of-the-art facility in 1991 under the direction of Lucile Packard. Continuing this legacy, the hospital planned to open a new building, more than doubling the number of patients it could serve, in 2017. They retained LCI to spearhead communications from construction through ribbon-cutting.
Strategy
LCI had some important core pillars of service to work with in messaging; patient care, sustainability, innovation and the healing power of nature. Building on those themes, the LCI team created an integrated communications approach. Working with others representing everyone from architects to internal social media managers to Stanford University’s Project Renewal team, LCI built a plan that created excitement for the hospital project and acknowledged its preeminence in Silicon Valley.
Tactics
Beyond just a media relations exercise, the months leading up to the opening were an opportunity to engage the community and remind the healthcare industry of LPCHS’ standing as a leader in pediatric care. LCI reached out to hospital trades, healthcare reporters, “mommy bloggers,” family publications, philanthropists and local/national broadcast news. LCI helped LPCH Stanford hold tours of the whimsical gardens, promoted employee innovations such as dedicated outdoor spaces and the focused a media spotlight on treating the entire family. Unique features including a labyrinth, accessible art and play areas, family lounges, hospital school and security functions were highlighted in media sneak peeks. The opening itself was a community-wide celebration of the years of planning that resulted in Silicon Valley’s state of the art hospital for children.
Results
National media hits included, among others, CBS News and CBS Sunday Morning. The regional/local media included KGO, KCBS, KPIX, KNTV, Comunidad de Valle, Asian Pacific America, Bay Area Focus, San Francisco Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Bay Area News Group, Bay Area Parent, Red Tricycle, and many more. Total media UVMs for the project exceeded 57 million.