Project: Open Minds, Open Doors Campaign Client: The Royal Ottawa Health Care Group

The Challenge
The construction of a new state of the art hospital and world-class research facility led the Royal Ottawa Hospital Foundation to undertake a massive fundraising and public relations campaign. Ingenium Communications, as part of a strategic alliance with Alphabet Creative, was selected to deliver a highly sophisticated, professional and insightful campaign designed to build positive awareness - laying the foundation for successful fundraising. The project was particularly ambitious and the challenges significant. Negative press, an outdated existing facility and the general stigma associated with mental illness presented major obstacles in creating positive awareness for the Hospital. In addition, the fundraising goal was the largest philanthropic initiative in the hospital's history, and at the time, the largest mental health campaign in Eastern Ontario. Donor fatigue was evident and rates of public and corporate giving were eroding.

The Solution
The "Open Minds, Open Doors" campaign was directed by a detailed Communications Strategy - developed using Ingenium's Results Map™ methodology - encompassing communication research and planning, advertising, media events, collateral development and evaluation services. The driving philosophy behind the campaign was that with the right messaging and positioning, communicated over a broad range of channels, the initiative would serve both the fundraising activity as well as the over-arching context of de-stigmatizing mental illness. The overall Strategy approach included:

• A highly consultative process including key internal interviews and a briefing with the Board of Directors.
• A rigorous research component comprising an in-depth environmental analysis and the creation of a detailed inventory of current communications and marketing channels/products.
• External benchmarking of major health-related philanthropic campaigns in the Ottawa region.
• A results-based management approach integrated into the Strategy, strongly rooted in measurable objectives and associated performance indicators.

• The Campaign succeeded in raising more money than all donations combined in the hospital's 95 year history with 48 per cent of Campaign supporters being first time donors.
• The Campaign received 100 per cent support from all physicians at the Hospital - an uncommon feat.
• The Campaign was a catalyst for numerous individuals to come forward and share their personal stories of mental illness - a poignant encouragement to many others.
• The project succeeded in putting the hospital on the map in presence, profile and pride of association with both volunteers and donors.
• Ingenium Communications was recognized with a 2007 First Place Hygeia Award for Excellence in Health Communications (Strategic Communications Category) presented by the Health Care Public Relations Association of Canada as a result of its contributions to the Open Minds, Open Doors Campaign.