When heading into new territory, you need a good scout to make sure you arrive safe and sound. 
 
The Problem
A major hospital company was preparing to invest hundreds of million of dollars in a new market. But what were the risks? Would a big investment in local healthcare by a relatively unknown, out-of-state company be welcomed...or feared? Would they step on a landmine before they knew they were in a minefield?

Would their investment – and their industry reputation – be wounded by media scrutiny, or community action, or political games before they could care for their first patient?
 
The Solution
They needed a scout who could study the market, identify the hazards and map out the best path for the company’s entry into new territory.

Using a blend of our public relations and government relations experience, we conducted an extensive study of the market’s political landscape. We took a panoramic view that included:

• The media who matter and how they cover the healthcare industry
• The politicians, what matters to them and what they would likely want from a new, large employer
• The healthcare regulators, the rules that guide them, and what really matters to them
• The would-be competition – strengths, weaknesses and opportunities
• The hot-button healthcare issues of the day (and the ones on the radar)
• The people to see and the ones to avoid
• The things to be sure to say, and things to be sure not to say

And more. A lot more.
 
The Result  
Our scouting allowed the company to enter the new market with confidence. They knew what to say, who to meet, what to expect and how to weigh the political risks ahead of them. Instead of bracing for controversy, they knew how to create support and did just that.

In fact, in the end the company didn’t enter a market; they joined a community. The new market became their territory.