American Osteopathic Association – ‘Why We Belong’ Campaign
Members of the American Osteopathic Association (AOA), the central accrediting agency for all osteopathic medical schools, weren’t seeing the value in or engaging with AOA’s annual membership guide. It was our job to turn it into a meaningful publication that communicated the benefits of AOA in a way that truly resonated.
When your collateral is called a “throwaway piece,” it’s time to call in help.
That’s what AOA did when they received that exact feedback on their annual membership guide. Each year the guide was intended to share valuable information about what an AOA membership can offer—and each year, recipients were less than thrilled with what arrived in the mail. To be sure their next guide hit the mark while staying in the same set budget, AOA brought BatesMeron to the table.
SERVICES: STRATEGY / CAMPAIGN THEME / MARKETING COLLATERAL / PHOTOGRAPHY / video
In an effort to remind members of AOA’s value and create a piece worthy of their attention, we transformed the annual benefits guide into an engaging look at the true meaning of membership, titled “Why We Belong.” To get to the heart of that true meaning, our team got to work scouting out the perfect members to showcase throughout the guide to provide firsthand accounts of the benefits of AOA.
In total, we interviewed 10 osteopathic physicians and medical students to find out how membership in the AOA has fulfilled them and furthered their individual careers. With the members located across America, we worked with a photographer to strategically art direct photojournalistic-style photoshoots around the country and fully capture each member’s story.
The benefit was two-fold: Thoughtful, personal photos that recognize and resonate with members, plus complete creative control over every aspect of production.
In design, we carried through our campaign theme via in-depth member profiles and a professional, yet nostalgic look and feel. With stylized treatments that nod to the history of AOA and the personal stories that contribute to it, each member profile offers a real glimpse into the value of AOA membership.
The end result was inspiring: a robust new brochure filled with tales of leaders born, deserving people helped and livelihoods saved. And with some of the original budget to spare, we took the campaign a step further with a teaser video to promote the revamped publication, ensuring recognition for the brochure piece by the time it arrived in members’ mailboxes.
The video provided an intimate glance into the lives of the interviewed physicians and students, creating an inspirational, behind-the-scenes look at the heart of the AOA—the cherry on top of our efforts.
“BatesMeron has always given us their best. I know I can count on the team there to not only give us innovative ideas that we couldn’t think of but to keep us on schedule and on budget.”
