PROTECT AND SERVE
IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE
San Antonio AirLIFE, operated by University Health System and the Baptist Health System, has flown rescue and critical transfer missions for 20 years. AirLIFE came to esd with a new membership program, modeled after others in the United States and Canada.
advertising alchemy
Defining a product requires a combination of art and science. You have to find a credible proposition that the public understands and give it a memorable name. You need to research the market, discover its demographics and values, then imagine a campaign that sells – delivering the right messages through the right media, connected to an easy way to purchase the product.
However established in other markets, air ambulance membership was a new concept for South Texas. esd needed to condense a complicated idea to a simple concept. We distilled membership that carries financial benefits when you need air ambulance services to one clear offer: protect your family.
a name for all seasons
After a thorough analysis – writing, reviewing and testing several hundred names – esd and AirLIFE settled on Guardian Angel. We made purchasing and detailed information available on a website, www.AirlifeAngel.com, and introduced the product with outdoor and direct mail (household mail across South Texas and segmented by affiliation, particularly first responders) promotion.
Guardian Angel is particularly important to rural South Texans. Traveling across rural farm-to-market roads nearly 100 miles from the nearest hospital, people appreciate AirLIFE’s ability to scramble a helicopter with trained medical personnel any time of the day or night. Guardian Angel gives an added assurance that – if they should need assistance – they won’t face an overwhelming bill for the help.
reassurance is the point
If that’s the message the target audience receives, esd has gotten it right. The program continues to grow, with window stickers on more and more vehicles across AirLIFE’s coverage area showing that an increasing number of families have Guardian Angel protection.