July 17, 2025 • 45 mins
On this episode of Human Centered, host Nick Brunker sits down with Jenny Collopy, Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer for The Christ Hospital Network, to explore the unique and complex role of the healthcare CMO. They discuss how to build a brand when the customer's journey is one of the most personal they will ever undertake, and how marketing a product that is fundamentally about trust, care, and human vulnerability differs from other industries. Jenny shares insights from her career path, the importance of mission-driven storytelling, the challenges of navigating patient privacy in a data-driven world, and how her team works to bridge the digital front door with the in-person clinical experience to build community trust.
Connect with Jenny on LinkedIn and learn more about the great work she's doing with The Christ Hospital Network
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Episode Transcript
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Nick Brunker (00:06):
Hi, everyone, and welcome to Human Centered. I'm
Nick Brunker, a managingdirector of experience strategy
at DML and your host for theshow. Thanks for giving us a
listen. Today, we're exploringthe unique and complex role of
the healthcare CMO. How do youmarket a product that is
fundamentally about trust, care,and human vulnerability?
How do you build a brand whenyour customer's journey is one
(00:27):
of the most personal they willever undertake. We'll discuss
how marketing and communicationsset the stage for this patient
experience, build communitytrust, and navigate incredible
responsibility of being thevoice for a mission driven
health organization. To help usnavigate this landscape, I am so
thrilled and thankful to welcomeour guest today as the vice
president and chief marketingand communications officer for
(00:50):
the Christ Hospital Network andperhaps as importantly, a
Cincinnati Business Courier 40Under 40 honoree. Jenny is an
expert in this very challenge.Jenny, welcome to the show.
Thanks for joining us.
Jenny Collopy (01:03):
Thanks for having me. That was quite the intro as
well. I think you pretty muchsummed up healthcare marketing
in a few sentences. So welldone, you nailed it.
Nick Brunker (01:12):
You know what, it's a crazy time I'm sure to be
in the space coming out of COVIDand your time with the Christ
Hospital kind of overlaps inthat area. So I am thrilled and
really excited to kind of dig inwith you on all things
healthcare and certainly in yourrole. I'd love to hear a little
bit more about it and what isleading marketing and comms for
(01:33):
a major health network look likeday to day?
Jenny Collopy (01:36):
Well, I'll start out by saying it's an absolute
privilege. There's not manyindustries that one can work in
where you go to bed feeling likeyou've made impact and purpose
like you do in nonprofithealthcare. I truly believe that
every touch point is the abilityto, like you said, build trust
and drive, know, just patientloyalty to the organization by
(02:02):
providing the best care, thebest experiences, and also by
making it affordable. And so Ireally use that, our mission
statement, as our true north ineverything I do and every story
I tell and every channel that wepick to be able to eloquently
assure that our community andtheir healthcare is well taken
care of and we're alwaysproviding that value.
Nick Brunker (02:25):
We're gonna get into a lot of things in this
half hour or more, but you havea fascinating career path
because I think when you look atthe space, it is so unique and
challenging and for all thereasons you just talked about, a
very emotionally, I don't wannasay tense, but there's a lot
going on. It's like the joke wetalked about in our pre show was
(02:45):
in a lot of cases, marketersaren't saving lives. Your
business is in the business ofsaving lives and improving
lives. Yet you you come fromagency side with with brands
like P and G and you you rose tothe c suite there. Could you
walk us through the journey ofyour path to the CMO suite and
how it's prepared you along theway for all those unique demands
(03:06):
of being in the space thatyou're in now?
Jenny Collopy (03:09):
Absolutely. I mean, so I grew up knowing and
being able to observe the powerof healthcare. My mom is a
nurse. My father worked for theFood and Drug Administration. So
they both really served theircommunity through care and
protection.
But what I also realized at avery young age that science and
(03:29):
math were not my strong suit.So, you know, I went down the
path of, you know,communications, public
relations, eventually ended upgetting my master's in
healthcare communicationsbecause I knew very early on
that I wanted to be in thehealthcare space. I did a lot of
my research and my thesis onbehavior and communication
(03:53):
around food and eatingdisorders, and then carried that
into the agency space atNorthlake, where I had the
privilege to work on a largespan of clients, everything from
Ohio State University, WexnerMedical Center, and helping them
with their name change andvolume building campaigns.
(04:14):
Worked on the We Thrive campaignfor Healthy Living Among Youth
within Cincinnati. But then alsogot to be exposed to brands like
White Castle and Long JohnSilver's and Totes Isotopes.
And while they're all amazingbrands and it takes all kinds
and there's a space foreverything, reading the comments
(04:38):
about the personal and healtheffects of White Castle assured
me that I did not want to workin And food and while, you know,
the comfort of products and CPGare very important, I definitely
found myself gravitating andreally feeling passionate within
(05:01):
healthcare. Life took me to asmaller agency after my first
two kids where I realized thatagency life is awesome, but also
being there till eight orsometimes 2AM working on RFPs
and pitches Yeah. Wasn't themost conducive to to small
(05:21):
children. And so actually wentto more of like a thirty to
thirty two hour role at MadisonDesign Group, which was great
for my life then and got towork, like you mentioned, on
Cintas, Procter and Gamble, butthen also got to oversee the
whole Cincinnati Children'saccount. So I love the Christ
Hospital brand.
(05:42):
I also love the Children'sbrand. They are such an asset to
this community. And my favoritedays were the ones where I got
to go to the hospital, meet withthe doctors and work on the work
of children's. That's, itsounds, I don't know, of silly
(06:03):
or nuanced, but I remembertelling my agency then that I
was going to Christ Hospital. Icouldn't explain it, but all I
said is like, I can't explainit, but I need a badge.
Like I want a badge that I canwear around that says that I
work for a hospital. Like it wasso meaningful. It was like an
exterior way to show what I doand something that I was proud
(06:27):
of. And so I got the job atChrist ten years ago and just
worked my way up from there. Istarted on Heart and Vascular,
which is really kind of a reallyunique brand for us and provides
some of the best care in theworld.
And then I just kept asking formore. I asked to take another
(06:47):
service line and then blessingor curse, asked to take over
internal communications andpublic relations about one month
to COVID hitting. While it was agrind and it was, you know, just
turned our lives upside down inevery way you can imagine, from
(07:09):
a career standpoint, it reallydid give me the opportunity to
show what I could do at thatlevel and that type of stressful
environment and honestly laidthe foundation for me to get
into this role by virtue of justmy dedication and willingness to
grind it out in the hardesttimes. So really sad about
(07:33):
everything that happened withthat, but trying to find some
silver linings.
Nick Brunker (07:37):
Absolutely. And I mean, you do mention the idea of
of marketing as a as a mission,you know, to use the example of
the badge. And as as a CMO of ofany brand, it's it's about
building trust and confidence inthe brand. And and for most
industries, and it's a greatplace to kinda dig in a little
bit to the X's and O's so tospeak. Marketing is building
(07:57):
brand preference.
And in healthcare, you'rebuilding something much deeper,
which is that trust aspect is sofundamental to what you do in
marketing and it really changesthe marketing playbook. I think
we can start there with the roleof a CMO, how it's different for
you in healthcare compared toother industries. Is it
(08:19):
different and what are the coreprinciples that you rely on?
Jenny Collopy (08:22):
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the biggest
differences is that we're asecondary category. When you
think of healthcare, you don'treally wanna think of
healthcare, right? You don'twant to go into a hospital. You
don't want to have to go to thedoctor. You know, there's a lot
of stress around, you know,being proactive and obviously
(08:43):
being reactive within the healthspace.
And so the strategies of stayingtop of mind in a very positive
and opening and trust buildingway in a fiscally responsible
way, I think is one of thebiggest challenges, right?
(09:04):
Because we're not even talkingabout, you know, driving people
to primary care, but we'retalking about how do you make
sure that if someone finds outthat they got diagnosed with
cancer, that you are the firsthospital that comes to mind? And
I think, you know, for me, I amdeeply rooted in Northern
Kentucky and Cincinnati. All ofmy family and friends live here.
(09:28):
Like I am driven as much ofgetting people into the doors of
the Christ Hospital as I amfulfilling the mission and
making sure that my own familyand friends and networks have
access to the best care.
And unless we're bringing peopleto us, unless we are driving
volumes, unless we are gettingmarket share, unless we are, you
(09:49):
know, fulfilling the promise ofcreating access for all and
letting people experience that,then I'm not doing my job. So I
think, you know, what I push onmy team is this is all full
circle. It's not just gettingpeople in the door. It is making
sure that the minute they hitthat door, that experience is
superb. And that experience whenthey leave is superb because the
(10:14):
community is our bestadvertising.
Nick Brunker (10:16):
Right. Right.
Jenny Collopy (10:17):
I mean, can have the best commercial. I can have
the best billboards. I can dothe best Facebook campaign. But
as long as someone walks inhere, if they don't have the
best experience, that's all fornaught.
Nick Brunker (10:29):
Yeah. And if you translate that into actionable
strategies, marketing and comms,yes, there's there's obviously a
reliance and almost a arequirement that your advocates
are the ones really doing theheavy lifting in the marketing
space. But how does the themission driven organization that
you guys have translate intomarketing and comm strategies
(10:51):
that resonate with the communityand set the expectations on the
care that they're gonna receivewhen they come to the Christ
Hospital?
Jenny Collopy (10:58):
Yeah. I mean, I tell my team and I position
myself, I'm a strategicstoryteller. Like, I sometimes
feel like a fraud because peopleare like, oh, you know, you're a
great marketer. You're a greatwell, I have great content.
Like, I have the bestphysicians.
I have the best nurses. I havethe best patients all willing to
(11:19):
tell their stories. Withouttheir stories, without their
experiences, without theirintellect, I would have nothing.
My brand is our mission. Andthat's kind of all I focus on
all day, every day.
What stories can I tell that thepeople know that we will provide
the best experience for you andyour family? What stories that
(11:42):
can I tell of innovation andtechnology that you are assured
that you will come here and havethe best outcomes no matter what
care you receive? And whatstories can I tell to allow you
to feel confident that you canshow up and pay for this? And I
think without those threetenants and the stories
underneath, you know, I havenothing. So the mission fuels my
(12:05):
strategy because the mission arethe stories that we tell.
Nick Brunker (12:09):
And you were talking through telling those
stories and evolving thecommunications approach during
the COVID nineteen pandemic. Andwe talked about it a little bit
off the top, but what did thatcrisis teach you about the role
of the CMO in maintaining publictrust and providing clarity in
(12:30):
times of uncertainty, which Ithink was not just in the
hospital and the healthcarespace, but across the entire
world. Tell me a little bitabout that crisis and what it
taught you.
Jenny Collopy (12:42):
I mean, it taught me the ability to be nimble. We
went from, you know, investingin creating a consumer driving
campaign to quickly pivoting tohow do we educate this community
on what to do and what not todo, and really the emphasis
changed. We really needed tofocus on internal communications
(13:05):
and assuring that our teammembers felt safe. You know, we
were we knew that we had the PPEthat we needed. We knew that we
had the space that we needed.
We knew that they had access tothe vaccines that they needed.
Yep. And so it the the emphasisand the prioritization really
(13:26):
shifted. But because we have areally small, nimble, gritty
team and a small, grittyorganization, I feel like we
were able to pivot a lot quickerthan some other organizations.
And I think that's what I loveabout this group.
While we're almost 40 years old,we're relatively new as a
(13:49):
singular hospital when we brokeoff from the Alliance in about
02/2008, 02/2009. And so webuilt this network from scratch
over the last fifteen, twentyyears. And so we're all still,
working through being thatcohesive organization. And I
think the communicationstrategy, especially through
(14:10):
COVID, really did help bring ustogether. So kind of be, again,
it's the grit, it's the abilityto be nimble and flexible and
really practicing agilemarketing.
Nick Brunker (14:22):
And it's not an easy thing to do when you're
doing this with a multi matrixorganization where their day to
day is literally saving lives ina lot of cases and finding the
right stories. I think the otherthing that I'm curious about is,
and we'll get into this in alittle bit in the next section,
but consistency and creating abrand story that's consistent
(14:45):
with not only the physicians,but when you're telling a
patient's story, there's a lotof privacy and there's a lot of
sensitivity. And as a CMO, Imean, that is a different type
of challenge when you're like,man, that's a great story. But
how can we tell it thoughtfullyand even get somebody who is
willing to tell that that sortof a story? Tell me a little bit
(15:07):
more about the the experience ofcreating it consistently brand
story wise while facing thechallenge of, this is a
sensitive issue and a sensitivestory in a lot of cases.
Jenny Collopy (15:17):
No, absolutely. Think has been one of the
biggest surprises to me is thewillingness of our patients to
share their experiences. A lotof them will come out of really
traumatic or hard situations andbe looking for an outlet to give
back and thank their physicians,to thank their organization, or
(15:39):
to spread awareness aroundsomething that they caught or
had symptoms of and don't wantto see somebody else go through.
You know, there's a lot ofresearch behind medical
storytelling and it's a type oftherapy for patients especially
either why they're going throughor coming out of a traumatic
health situation and so, Ican't, I honestly, there is not
(16:03):
probably a single topic thatwe've tried to promote that I
haven't been able to identify asa patient that's willing to come
forward and share their story.So again, I think it goes back
because they have this deepgratefulness towards their
physicians and towards theircare teams that really inspires
them.
(16:24):
And I'm just happy that we canprovide them that outlet. Know,
people have time, treasure, andtalents that they can give. And
we know we're always likehelping people understand all of
their options if they want togive back. But I'm lucky enough
that I get to embrace thetreasure of them being willing
to share their story and helpspread awareness and key
(16:46):
messages on our behalf. Sothat's definitely something that
I think maybe other brands don'texperience that much from a
testimonial standpoint.
Nick Brunker (16:58):
The CMO role in a lot of cases, especially these
days, is equally focused on thecustomer experience, whether
truly in ownership of that roleor certainly a very important
partner in building CX. Andobviously as the show is titled
Human Centered, working throughthe patient's journey in your
(17:20):
industry's case, As a marketer,you're often that first point of
contact, as you mentioned, justgetting people to be willing to
be ambassadors for the brand,setting the tone long before
someone actually walks throughthe door. So let's talk about
how you approach that. And froma marketing perspective, there's
that seamless narrative thatbridges the digital front door,
which still needs to exist, thewebsite, social search,
(17:41):
etcetera, with the in personclinical experience. So when you
think about the patient journey,I'd love to hear more about your
perspective and how you bridgethose things because it is not
like many industries are adigital only experience.
In fact, while they're inhealthcare or more budding
digital experiences and digitalexclusive like, you know,
(18:03):
virtual care, etcetera. You'rein the space of really being
tight when you think bridgingdigital and physical. Let's talk
about that.
Jenny Collopy (18:10):
Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, I'm very blessed
that I have an amazing marketingteam and they are as ambassadors
about consistency as I am. Ithink the strongest brands are
the ones that have equipped allof their team members to tell
(18:31):
the same brand story no matterwhat setting they're in and also
being proud to tell that story.And so I would say, from what we
push forward, we have a verystrong external campaign. We
launched Everything It Takes in2019.
We did a lot of upfrontresearch, both internally to
(18:51):
assure that it resonated and wasmotivating and inspirational to
our own team members and reallybuilt it from the bottom up to
assure that when people do hitour doors, that they really feel
that my people are doingeverything it takes for me and
for my family. And so thatexternal facing campaign, we are
very intentional and deliberateto assure that that is tight
(19:13):
across all external channels,whether it's TV, whether it's
radio, whether it's socialmedia, that all same look, feel,
tone. And so I think we're verydisciplined in our practice of
bringing that campaign forward.We also take more of like a
blitz agile approach because theshift in the industries is so
(19:38):
volatile in healthcare andopportunities present themselves
often of which we can move intodifferent geographies, can move
into different services orthings that are completely out
of control kind of bubble up,you know, that we need to hop
on. But we know we because wehave that consistent framework
(20:00):
that we can quickly piece thatcampaign together because those
templates, that consistent look,feel that is laid and we have
the equity within the community.
So yeah, so I think doing theheavy work upfront to make sure
that our tagline and our brandpromise to the community is
(20:21):
enforced and emphasized andembraced internally is what's
allowed that campaign to be sosuccessful. And we're also very
deliberate if it doesn't, know,if it's not within the
Everything It Takes campaign, itcan't be outside of evergreen.
So I get five or six things thatcome across my desk a day, a t
(20:43):
shirt design, a flyer design,you know, like something like
the I'm, like, very kindly knownas the brand police here, and I
take pride in that because Ifeel responsible for any touch
point And that has our logo onso, you know, if you're doing
something tie dye, I'll tie mycolor palette, like, I'm not
(21:04):
gonna be like, I'm not gonnaendorse that because the minute
that you take that out in thecommunity or wear it around
here, you're you're you'rewatering down the brand. You're
watering down the consistency.So we are very deliberate in
that discipline in that.
That comes from the top down andis lived, I think throughout.
Nick Brunker (21:26):
The other challenge I'm interested in
unpacking with you is at VML wetalk about brand experience, BX,
the more traditional campaignplanning, etcetera, is making a
promise. And the CX side of thehouse, and it's not this this
pedantic, but the CX side of thehouse is proving the promise.
And obviously, both sides of thecoin have to be collectively
working together, with leaderson both sides of the house.
(21:49):
Where I find it reallyfascinating in your role as a
CMO is you've got the, you know,brand promise, the campaign
planning, all the marketingexecutions, telling really great
stories. And then there's thelived experience once somebody
comes in through the doors.
And that's where the the brandpromise ultimately gets paid off
(22:09):
or not by partnership withclinical and operations and all
the other physical, human beingsand departments that that go
into a good experience. How doyou wrestle with as a CMO in the
role you have here responsiblefor kind of both sides of that,
BX and the CX?
Jenny Collopy (22:29):
Yeah. So, know, in my role, I get to not oversee
all external communication andmarketing, but I also manage all
the internal communication. Andso it's, you know, a very big
piece of our strategy to assurethat our team members know the
mission. They feel like they arepart of a culture of winning.
(22:52):
They're part of a culture ofproviding the best care and feel
that.
And they feel informed and theyfeel inspired to go about their
day. So I almost am finding,especially in these times when
there's high turnover inhealthcare, there's shortages
within physicians, there'sshortages within nurses, Like
(23:16):
that's quickly becoming morethan 50% of my job because I can
say all day that you're going tocome in and get cared for for
the best. But unless I can getthe best here and keep them
here, then I'm not fulfilling mybrand promise. So our fiscal
year twenty six just kicked off,and I think I've spent more time
on our internal communicationstrategy and culture building
(23:38):
efforts and building that out.We launched a new podcast last
week to spotlight amazing teammembers across the organization.
I just, right before I came tothis, presented to our Aspire
University on a whole facilitatea personal branding presentation
to train people on how our ownteam members to go out and be
(24:02):
brand advocates in a responsibleand inspirational way. My days
are starting to look a littlebit different between, you know,
working on a lot of operationalwork within our Forward two
point zero, my marketing side,and then my internal comp side.
Nick Brunker (24:20):
Crazy. And a lot of fun too, I would expect in in
these times where, you know,thinking about, you know,
digital evolution and andtechnology really advancing at a
crazy pace in all industries,especially in health care. There
there, I'm I'm sure areas whereyou're kind of having to look
at, Alright. So how do these newtechnologies bake into our
(24:41):
experience knowing there's somuch privacy and ethical and,
you know, even legal issues yougotta kind of navigate on any
given day? Where do you see thebiggest opportunities for
marketing to reduce friction andanxiety for patients as they
navigate this healthcare system?
Jenny Collopy (24:56):
Well, I think first you have to create an
experience that they're for nowfamiliar with. I mean, we all
want to be the Amazons of theworld. Health care is already a
very stressful situation. Imean, I, you know, I journaled
yesterday. I had a checkup and Imean, my anxiety all day was
(25:16):
through the roof.
Like, I promote health care allday, every day, and I hate going
to the doctor. Like, Iunderstand. Like, like, white
coat anxiety is a real thingbecause you just never know,
like, the information thatyou're gonna get. Right. And so
you could you could live inblissful ignorance and just make
the assumption that everythingis great and nothing will go
wrong, or you can do what I'mtrying to do and is really
(25:39):
encouraged even to my own selfthat prevention is key, early
detection is key, andestablishing a quarterback
relationship with your provideris key.
So, you know, I think like Ihave to internalize and believe
anything that I'm willing to putall of my efforts into. And I'm
even finding myself trying tochange my mindset to really push
(26:02):
out the message effectively andefficiently that, you know, it's
good to come. Now, it'schallenging, right? We are so
there's
Nick Brunker (26:13):
a lot
Jenny Collopy (26:13):
of red tape in healthcare marketing. For sure.
You know, what I say I want tobe the Amazons, but Amazon, you
know, is retargeting. They'reredistributing. We can't do any
of that.
Like we cannot use anyinformation that relates to
healthcare to promote our brandin any way, shape, or form. We
(26:34):
don't even have tracking on ourwebsite. I have no idea how
people are getting to us, wherethey're coming from. Yeah. Yeah.
So we're we're very limited interms of the metrics that we're
able to capture and like in inbeing marketing successful but
just the digital front door allthe way around. I really have to
(26:56):
trust our new patient metrics. Ineed to trust our market share
reports that can prove thatwe're doing what we need to do
to develop that trust in a waythat's responsible and legal.
Nick Brunker (27:08):
Do you see that evolving over time? Because what
I find fascinating in that is itreally doesn't allow for more,
like I would call it modern,what has become a kind of
established practice for if youhave these digital ecosystems,
you're gonna be able to leveragecertain types of data,
obviously, you know, withlimited, know, availability to
(27:31):
certain data in your space. Butdo you see a world where the
shackles come off a little bitor or are we gonna see it go the
opposite way where as more databecomes available, health care
becomes even less restrictive?What a what a crazy, dichotomy
that you're facing. Do you seeit changing at all?
Jenny Collopy (27:49):
I think if anything, it's continually
gotten more restrictive andwe're we're preparing for that.
So I think, you know, wecontinue to try and figure out
ways to show our KPIs and showour value to the organization
and be fiscally responsiblewithout actually being able to
(28:11):
have metrics around cost peracquisition like any normal
business would do. So yeah, Imean, it's definitely a
challenge. But I think at thesame time, it also makes us a
lot more authentic. And justlike, again, the mission is at
the forefront because I don'thave any other metrics or
(28:32):
virtues or ways to show thateverything that we are doing is
leading to a transaction.
I truly am just pushing outamazing stories and taking
community sentiment and takingour new patient and for like
data as to how many people comethrough and how we are in
comparison to our competitors atface value to assure that we're
(28:56):
doing a good job and I don'tmind it because you know, I'm
I'm the warm and fuzzy girl. Mygoal is to make sure that when I
post something on social mediaabout Christ Hospital, that I
have everyone saying that welove you, we love your brand,
and, you know, we wanna utilizeyou. So that to me is my success
metric most of the day.
Nick Brunker (29:17):
No question. And I think the other really
interesting dichotomy you'refaced with is there are patients
who are also consumers of otherthings and they become trained
to have, you know, I'm justgonna completely cross
industries, but two day shippingfrom prime. I can schedule my
appointment for anything that Iwant. I can, you know, pick up
(29:37):
and drop off, you know, whateverI'm buying. Like, I can I can do
any kind of of my activities inmy daily life through my my
digital system, whether it's aniPhone or any other, you know,
handheld, or if I jump on awebsite and I'm gonna mess
around, I can pretty much do allthose things relatively easily?
And all those industries get toreap the benefits of of all the
(29:59):
data and the retargeting, allthe things we talked about in in
modern marketing. Yet there aregonna be some areas that I think
in health care, you got a coupleof challenges you're running up
against. One is is what we justtalked about, which is just the
the ability to leverage thedata. And then two is the fact
you've got similar to maybe someother industries, but I still
think unique to health care. Yougot physicians and physicians
(30:22):
assistants and teams of peoplethat, yeah, it's not as easy as,
yeah, let's just do an onlinescheduler because it's more
nuanced than that when you getto consider Absolutely.
You've got the network and thenyou've got all the physicians
calendars and schedules. Likemany stakeholders in the game to
deliver on the experiences atthe Christ Hospital. How do you,
get to kind of put your thumb inthe soup a little bit on making
(30:46):
the experience well while you'realso, you know, challenged with
all the the hindrances we justtalked about?
Jenny Collopy (30:52):
Yeah, no, this is fun. I actually just told this
story and as a way to kind ofshow off some perseverance. But,
know, so about two and a halfyears ago, we made the decision
coming out of COVID to partnerwith a consultant that would
help us just operationallytransform and really kind of
(31:15):
push forward our growth, oursustainable growth, and look at
some of our internal processesand help clean those up. And so
that project kicked off. Our COOkind of was the transformation
officer over the project.
And I don't know. I can'texplain it, but I just had this
feeling like I need to be a partof this. And so, you know, as
(31:38):
the project was ramping up andthey were putting together the
steering committee, I putfifteen minutes on his calendar
and it just said, Catch up. AndI walked into his office and I
had like an outline of all thereasons that he needed me on
that steering committee. And itwas how to effectively
communicate the why, like whyare we engaging with this
consulting firm?
(31:59):
Why are these people coming intomy offices and telling me that
my operational efficiencies areall wrong? Why are these people
trying to move my cheese? Right?The communication to the
organization that we areengaging in this and the why
behind it, being able to tellthe board members why it's been
successful or why it hasn't,being able to tell the leaders
(32:21):
of these different projects whywe need you to lead these
projects effectively. And youknow, it didn't take that much
convincing.
I got on the steering committeeand, you know, away we went.
Well, about eight months intothe project, he got an
opportunity to be a CEO at ahospital out of state. And so
that transformation officer spotwas open. So I took my list,
(32:45):
then to my boss, and reiteratedall the reasons why I needed to
be over this project. And Ithink, you know, originally it
was to get a stretch project forme as a development opportunity,
but it's become so much morethan that because I get exactly
what you said, the complicatedweave of health care systems.
(33:07):
So I'm working on things in revcycle. I'm working some things
on TCHP in the clinical offices,you know, OR efficiencies, like
clinical variation, like scopesthat were completely outside my
purview.
Nick Brunker (33:23):
Yeah.
Jenny Collopy (33:23):
But realizing that, again, I can't do anything
I'm doing effectively unlessthese are done effectively. And
so to your point about, youknow, being able to seamlessly
access, we we have an accessproblem. There's a high demand
for our services. People want tocome to the Christ Hospital.
Yep.
But there are geographicalbarriers and our inability to
(33:44):
build a lot in NorthernKentucky. There are provider
barriers that we just like can'tcan't get enough of specific
services that people just reallywant of the Christ Hospital. But
we do also have opportunities toget our physicians to be able to
open up more new patientappointments through some
(34:06):
operating standards and thingsof that sort. So being able to
like help facilitate that backend, because I also hear the
voice of the community that wewant you, we need you, like, and
I can't get to you, has been,you know, given me another layer
of appreciation of how hard itis, but how important that is.
Nick Brunker (34:26):
We've talked about strategy and the patient
journey. Now I'd like to focus alittle more on leadership. And
your career is just a fantasticroadmap for aspiring leaders.
You mentioned some of yourexperience elsewhere with
different industry verticals andagency and elsewhere. And we
talked a little bit about yourpath to the role you have now.
You know, you also mentionedbeing able to to be flexible and
(34:50):
nimble. What are some of theother pivotal moments or key
skills that you've developedthat you feel like have prepared
you to take on the leadershipposition that you have now, but
then all the other ancillarythings that you just talked
about, taking on as leader?
Jenny Collopy (35:04):
I think I've really changed my focus over the
last three years in being aleader. I think for so long, I
grew from being an individualcontributor.
Nick Brunker (35:15):
Yeah.
Jenny Collopy (35:16):
I was, you know, good at building campaigns for
my service line. I was good atbuilding communications for, you
know, my responsibilities. Like,I I could deliver on, you know,
the the things that were on myjob description. But what I've
found is that individualcontribution is nothing unless
(35:39):
you're able to lead more peopleto do it. And I'll be honest,
it's been a struggle becauseI've come up through the
marketing team.
I've worn every hat. And sothere's definitely a way that I
did things and still continue tothink that they should be done.
And so I think what I've had tolearn is taking a step back,
(36:01):
surrounding myself with anabsolute A team, which I have in
place right now. My directorsrun this, they run the ship.
That's why I've been able to doall these stretch projects
because I have complete trustand faith in their abilities to
be strategic, to be creative,and to be leaders to the rest of
(36:22):
the team.
So I'm finding that the mostimportant part of leadership is
allowing your leaders to leadand allowing your people to grow
and try new things. And my jobnow, I feel like in the
marketing department, eventhough I like to insert myself
on all the fun things, isremoving barriers. What do you
(36:44):
need in marketing to besuccessful? And let me take that
to the top and figure out wherewe can meet your needs. So it's
definitely evolved, but withoutmy great team, I'm nothing.
And I just have greaterappreciation of that now and
continue to figure out like, howdo I keep them happy? How do I
keep them fulfilled? And how doI continue to help them grow? So
(37:08):
I tell them all the time so theycan take my job.
Nick Brunker (37:11):
Exactly. Building the leaders of the future while
you're leading the organization,for sure. I think it's not an
easy thing to do. And the otherinteresting thing about your
role is you're also the voice ofthe patient within the
organization in a lot of ways.How do you use that role to
champion that patient firstmindset and influence decisions
that are beyond the scope ofyour day to day in your
(37:33):
department?
Jenny Collopy (37:35):
Yeah. I mean, so I was one of my greatest
achievements, I think, is when Ifirst joined the exec team, we
would start every meeting with,like, a quality moment. And it
was usually like, this was thelast fall or this, you know, you
know, thing happened in the OR.And it was like, it it set the
(37:55):
tone for the first two hours ofwhat would be, you know,
sometimes uplifting, sometimesvery stressful, but a meeting
amongst all of our leadership.And I basically asked, like
after my first exec meeting,could we start every meeting
with a mission moment?
And so every Tuesday at execTeam, I start the meeting with
(38:17):
sharing a new story that ranthat week, a letter that was
submitted by one of our patientsthrough Pest Gainey. I share a
video that my team produced.I'll share a Facebook post that
we've had a ton of engagementand love on. And that is how we
start. We start from theperception of our patient.
(38:41):
I try and carry that througheverywhere I go. Now we do that
for every board meeting. Everyboard meeting, I start it with
one of those assets to reallyset the tone or remind people
like budget discussion is goingto be hard today, quality
discussion is going to be hardtoday. But guess what? It's
necessary because of thisperson's story and this
(39:03):
patient's outcome and thisfamily's experience.
I think that those are just twoexamples of how I've made sure
that the patient and what I hearfrom them and the stories they
tell me remain at the forefrontof all we do.
Nick Brunker (39:18):
Looking forward, what do you see as the next big
evolution or challenge forhealthcare marketing and the
role of a CMO in there?
Jenny Collopy (39:27):
Oh boy. That's a great question.
Nick Brunker (39:30):
Leaving with a hard one.
Jenny Collopy (39:32):
No, that's a great question. I think if you
look at the research, a lot ofchief marketing officers
struggle with having a seat atthe table and being able to show
their value to the organization.Commonly, there was an advisory
(39:55):
board survey that the researchjust came out about that. Within
healthcare, a marketing budgetis anywhere from 0.2% to 5% of
the overall net revenue of theorganization. So there's a lot
of discourse and narrativearound the under appreciation of
(40:19):
marketing.
I've never felt that. I'vealways felt like marketing here
at the Christ Hospital andcommunication as well is an
integral part. I feel that fromour leaders that I work with
that are always, they're engagedwith what we are doing. They're
(40:41):
asking, they're telling, they'resharing, they're advising,
they're a part of the marketingteam in my opinion. What I'm
finding is that's noteverywhere.
I think you'll hear that thatcontinues to be a challenge for
marketing teams to be able toshowcase their value. I've not
(41:03):
had that. But it still continuesto be a support service. So
clinical will always be thepriority. I think that's totally
fine, but assuring that wecontinue to make sure that we're
relevant, we're always addingvalue and serving the mission, I
(41:27):
think is just what we have tolock in on.
Nick Brunker (41:29):
That's great. Before we wrap up, I'd love to
do a quick fast facts, off thecuff questions to learn more
about Jenny. And Yeah. I knowthere were a few, so we'll
rattle them off fast before wewrap up. Alright.
First one, is there somethingpeople might be surprised to
learn about you?
Jenny Collopy (41:47):
Well, I think you already know the answer to this,
but I held the three pointrecord at my high school. So I'm
still very proud of that. Gosh,no. I think it was broken like
two years later, but it did getme into my high school sports
hall of fame. So I'm still proudof that.
(42:09):
I still like to, you know, havea good horse and pig games with
my kids to remind them how goodI was. You're you're
Nick Brunker (42:17):
your generation's Caitlin Clark is what you're
telling me. Got it.
Jenny Collopy (42:20):
Yeah, exactly.
Nick Brunker (42:22):
Alright. Number two, what's the most recent
experience that you've gotten tocross off your bucket list?
Jenny Collopy (42:28):
Bucket list? Bucket list. I mean, sounds
super cheesy and corny, and I'mnot just saying this because my
boss might hear this, but thework that I'm able to do in this
operational transformation andreally go beyond just what I
(42:48):
like to call myself, the chiefpicture officer and chief T
shirt officer has been been anabsolute dream. And I just hope
that I continue to be able togrow and and expand, you know,
my contribution to the hospital.
Nick Brunker (43:04):
That's awesome. I guess one one thing that's still
on your bucket list that youwanna cross off next.
Jenny Collopy (43:11):
I got a talking to from my in laws this weekend,
which, first of all, they haveeight kids. So this, like, this
will be crazy for you to hear,but not crazy. But I've never
had a passport. I've never leftthe country ever. Really?
Yes. Wow. And they wereappalled. Like, my father-in-law
(43:31):
was, like, probably in Germanyor somewhere right now. Like, he
travels all over the world.
They both travel a ton. Andthey're like, what do you mean
you never left the country? I'mlike, I've been married to your
son for fifteen years. Like,when do you think I left the
country? Like, you would havebeen babysitting if I left the
country.
Nick Brunker (43:50):
You know this. You should know this.
Jenny Collopy (43:51):
You know this. But yeah. So I do have
ambitions, to potentially travelabroad at some point.
Nick Brunker (44:00):
What's on your list? I mean, do you have, like
let's just say you have a chanceto go somewhere first out of the
country. Do you have one on thelist already in mind?
Jenny Collopy (44:08):
I think our family would like to go to
Ireland. My husband has verydeep roots in Ireland. My in
laws have traveled there. All mybrothers and sister in laws have
traveled. We're the only onesthat have not been.
So I feel like just to keep upin conversation, I need to get
there.
Nick Brunker (44:24):
Your social calendar requires this. So I
think it's
Jenny Collopy (44:28):
time to
Nick Brunker (44:29):
go get a passport. So Exactly. Jenny, such a great
conversation. We've covered somuch. Thank you so much for
taking the time.
I know you're swamped with allthe things that we just talked
about on your day to day. Wereally appreciate you sharing
your expertise and perspectives,and hopefully, we can do this
again soon. Thanks.
Jenny Collopy (44:45):
I would love to. Thank you so much for having me.
Nick Brunker (44:48):
And thanks to you all for listening to human
centered as well. If you'd liketo connect with Jenny, we've
included her LinkedIn profile inthe show notes, and you can also
learn more about the innovativework they're doing by visiting
the christhospital.com. We'dalso love to hear your feedback
on the show. You can give us arating and offer up your
thoughts wherever you get yourpodcasts, including Apple,
Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon, andmore. If you have a topic idea
(45:10):
or just wanna drop us a line,you can connect with me on x at
Nick Bunker, or just shoot us anemail.
The address ishumancentered@VML.com. Thanks
again for listening. We'll seeyou next time.
Hi, everyone, and welcome to Human Centered. I'm
Nick Brunker, a managingdirector of experience strategy
at DML and your host for theshow. Thanks for giving us a
listen. Today, we're exploringthe unique and complex role of
the healthcare CMO. How do youmarket a product that is
fundamentally about trust, care,and human vulnerability?
How do you build a brand whenyour customer's journey is one
(00:27):
of the most personal they willever undertake. We'll discuss
how marketing and communicationsset the stage for this patient
experience, build communitytrust, and navigate incredible
responsibility of being thevoice for a mission driven
health organization. To help usnavigate this landscape, I am so
thrilled and thankful to welcomeour guest today as the vice
president and chief marketingand communications officer for
(00:50):
the Christ Hospital Network andperhaps as importantly, a
Cincinnati Business Courier 40Under 40 honoree. Jenny is an
expert in this very challenge.Jenny, welcome to the show.
Thanks for joining us.
Jenny Collopy (01:03):
Thanks for having me. That was quite the intro as
well. I think you pretty muchsummed up healthcare marketing
in a few sentences. So welldone, you nailed it.
Nick Brunker (01:12):
You know what, it's a crazy time I'm sure to be
in the space coming out of COVIDand your time with the Christ
Hospital kind of overlaps inthat area. So I am thrilled and
really excited to kind of dig inwith you on all things
healthcare and certainly in yourrole. I'd love to hear a little
bit more about it and what isleading marketing and comms for
(01:33):
a major health network look likeday to day?
Jenny Collopy (01:36):
Well, I'll start out by saying it's an absolute
privilege. There's not manyindustries that one can work in
where you go to bed feeling likeyou've made impact and purpose
like you do in nonprofithealthcare. I truly believe that
every touch point is the abilityto, like you said, build trust
and drive, know, just patientloyalty to the organization by
(02:02):
providing the best care, thebest experiences, and also by
making it affordable. And so Ireally use that, our mission
statement, as our true north ineverything I do and every story
I tell and every channel that wepick to be able to eloquently
assure that our community andtheir healthcare is well taken
care of and we're alwaysproviding that value.
Nick Brunker (02:25):
We're gonna get into a lot of things in this
half hour or more, but you havea fascinating career path
because I think when you look atthe space, it is so unique and
challenging and for all thereasons you just talked about, a
very emotionally, I don't wannasay tense, but there's a lot
going on. It's like the joke wetalked about in our pre show was
(02:45):
in a lot of cases, marketersaren't saving lives. Your
business is in the business ofsaving lives and improving
lives. Yet you you come fromagency side with with brands
like P and G and you you rose tothe c suite there. Could you
walk us through the journey ofyour path to the CMO suite and
how it's prepared you along theway for all those unique demands
(03:06):
of being in the space thatyou're in now?
Jenny Collopy (03:09):
Absolutely. I mean, so I grew up knowing and
being able to observe the powerof healthcare. My mom is a
nurse. My father worked for theFood and Drug Administration. So
they both really served theircommunity through care and
protection.
But what I also realized at avery young age that science and
(03:29):
math were not my strong suit.So, you know, I went down the
path of, you know,communications, public
relations, eventually ended upgetting my master's in
healthcare communicationsbecause I knew very early on
that I wanted to be in thehealthcare space. I did a lot of
my research and my thesis onbehavior and communication
(03:53):
around food and eatingdisorders, and then carried that
into the agency space atNorthlake, where I had the
privilege to work on a largespan of clients, everything from
Ohio State University, WexnerMedical Center, and helping them
with their name change andvolume building campaigns.
(04:14):
Worked on the We Thrive campaignfor Healthy Living Among Youth
within Cincinnati. But then alsogot to be exposed to brands like
White Castle and Long JohnSilver's and Totes Isotopes.
And while they're all amazingbrands and it takes all kinds
and there's a space foreverything, reading the comments
(04:38):
about the personal and healtheffects of White Castle assured
me that I did not want to workin And food and while, you know,
the comfort of products and CPGare very important, I definitely
found myself gravitating andreally feeling passionate within
(05:01):
healthcare. Life took me to asmaller agency after my first
two kids where I realized thatagency life is awesome, but also
being there till eight orsometimes 2AM working on RFPs
and pitches Yeah. Wasn't themost conducive to to small
(05:21):
children. And so actually wentto more of like a thirty to
thirty two hour role at MadisonDesign Group, which was great
for my life then and got towork, like you mentioned, on
Cintas, Procter and Gamble, butthen also got to oversee the
whole Cincinnati Children'saccount. So I love the Christ
Hospital brand.
(05:42):
I also love the Children'sbrand. They are such an asset to
this community. And my favoritedays were the ones where I got
to go to the hospital, meet withthe doctors and work on the work
of children's. That's, itsounds, I don't know, of silly
(06:03):
or nuanced, but I remembertelling my agency then that I
was going to Christ Hospital. Icouldn't explain it, but all I
said is like, I can't explainit, but I need a badge.
Like I want a badge that I canwear around that says that I
work for a hospital. Like it wasso meaningful. It was like an
exterior way to show what I doand something that I was proud
(06:27):
of. And so I got the job atChrist ten years ago and just
worked my way up from there. Istarted on Heart and Vascular,
which is really kind of a reallyunique brand for us and provides
some of the best care in theworld.
And then I just kept asking formore. I asked to take another
(06:47):
service line and then blessingor curse, asked to take over
internal communications andpublic relations about one month
to COVID hitting. While it was agrind and it was, you know, just
turned our lives upside down inevery way you can imagine, from
(07:09):
a career standpoint, it reallydid give me the opportunity to
show what I could do at thatlevel and that type of stressful
environment and honestly laidthe foundation for me to get
into this role by virtue of justmy dedication and willingness to
grind it out in the hardesttimes. So really sad about
(07:33):
everything that happened withthat, but trying to find some
silver linings.
Nick Brunker (07:37):
Absolutely. And I mean, you do mention the idea of
of marketing as a as a mission,you know, to use the example of
the badge. And as as a CMO of ofany brand, it's it's about
building trust and confidence inthe brand. And and for most
industries, and it's a greatplace to kinda dig in a little
bit to the X's and O's so tospeak. Marketing is building
(07:57):
brand preference.
And in healthcare, you'rebuilding something much deeper,
which is that trust aspect is sofundamental to what you do in
marketing and it really changesthe marketing playbook. I think
we can start there with the roleof a CMO, how it's different for
you in healthcare compared toother industries. Is it
(08:19):
different and what are the coreprinciples that you rely on?
Jenny Collopy (08:22):
Yeah, I mean, I think one of the biggest
differences is that we're asecondary category. When you
think of healthcare, you don'treally wanna think of
healthcare, right? You don'twant to go into a hospital. You
don't want to have to go to thedoctor. You know, there's a lot
of stress around, you know,being proactive and obviously
(08:43):
being reactive within the healthspace.
And so the strategies of stayingtop of mind in a very positive
and opening and trust buildingway in a fiscally responsible
way, I think is one of thebiggest challenges, right?
(09:04):
Because we're not even talkingabout, you know, driving people
to primary care, but we'retalking about how do you make
sure that if someone finds outthat they got diagnosed with
cancer, that you are the firsthospital that comes to mind? And
I think, you know, for me, I amdeeply rooted in Northern
Kentucky and Cincinnati. All ofmy family and friends live here.
(09:28):
Like I am driven as much ofgetting people into the doors of
the Christ Hospital as I amfulfilling the mission and
making sure that my own familyand friends and networks have
access to the best care.
And unless we're bringing peopleto us, unless we are driving
volumes, unless we are gettingmarket share, unless we are, you
(09:49):
know, fulfilling the promise ofcreating access for all and
letting people experience that,then I'm not doing my job. So I
think, you know, what I push onmy team is this is all full
circle. It's not just gettingpeople in the door. It is making
sure that the minute they hitthat door, that experience is
superb. And that experience whenthey leave is superb because the
(10:14):
community is our bestadvertising.
Nick Brunker (10:16):
Right. Right.
Jenny Collopy (10:17):
I mean, can have the best commercial. I can have
the best billboards. I can dothe best Facebook campaign. But
as long as someone walks inhere, if they don't have the
best experience, that's all fornaught.
Nick Brunker (10:29):
Yeah. And if you translate that into actionable
strategies, marketing and comms,yes, there's there's obviously a
reliance and almost a arequirement that your advocates
are the ones really doing theheavy lifting in the marketing
space. But how does the themission driven organization that
you guys have translate intomarketing and comm strategies
(10:51):
that resonate with the communityand set the expectations on the
care that they're gonna receivewhen they come to the Christ
Hospital?
Jenny Collopy (10:58):
Yeah. I mean, I tell my team and I position
myself, I'm a strategicstoryteller. Like, I sometimes
feel like a fraud because peopleare like, oh, you know, you're a
great marketer. You're a greatwell, I have great content.
Like, I have the bestphysicians.
I have the best nurses. I havethe best patients all willing to
(11:19):
tell their stories. Withouttheir stories, without their
experiences, without theirintellect, I would have nothing.
My brand is our mission. Andthat's kind of all I focus on
all day, every day.
What stories can I tell that thepeople know that we will provide
the best experience for you andyour family? What stories that
(11:42):
can I tell of innovation andtechnology that you are assured
that you will come here and havethe best outcomes no matter what
care you receive? And whatstories can I tell to allow you
to feel confident that you canshow up and pay for this? And I
think without those threetenants and the stories
underneath, you know, I havenothing. So the mission fuels my
(12:05):
strategy because the mission arethe stories that we tell.
Nick Brunker (12:09):
And you were talking through telling those
stories and evolving thecommunications approach during
the COVID nineteen pandemic. Andwe talked about it a little bit
off the top, but what did thatcrisis teach you about the role
of the CMO in maintaining publictrust and providing clarity in
(12:30):
times of uncertainty, which Ithink was not just in the
hospital and the healthcarespace, but across the entire
world. Tell me a little bitabout that crisis and what it
taught you.
Jenny Collopy (12:42):
I mean, it taught me the ability to be nimble. We
went from, you know, investingin creating a consumer driving
campaign to quickly pivoting tohow do we educate this community
on what to do and what not todo, and really the emphasis
changed. We really needed tofocus on internal communications
(13:05):
and assuring that our teammembers felt safe. You know, we
were we knew that we had the PPEthat we needed. We knew that we
had the space that we needed.
We knew that they had access tothe vaccines that they needed.
Yep. And so it the the emphasisand the prioritization really
(13:26):
shifted. But because we have areally small, nimble, gritty
team and a small, grittyorganization, I feel like we
were able to pivot a lot quickerthan some other organizations.
And I think that's what I loveabout this group.
While we're almost 40 years old,we're relatively new as a
(13:49):
singular hospital when we brokeoff from the Alliance in about
02/2008, 02/2009. And so webuilt this network from scratch
over the last fifteen, twentyyears. And so we're all still,
working through being thatcohesive organization. And I
think the communicationstrategy, especially through
(14:10):
COVID, really did help bring ustogether. So kind of be, again,
it's the grit, it's the abilityto be nimble and flexible and
really practicing agilemarketing.
Nick Brunker (14:22):
And it's not an easy thing to do when you're
doing this with a multi matrixorganization where their day to
day is literally saving lives ina lot of cases and finding the
right stories. I think the otherthing that I'm curious about is,
and we'll get into this in alittle bit in the next section,
but consistency and creating abrand story that's consistent
(14:45):
with not only the physicians,but when you're telling a
patient's story, there's a lotof privacy and there's a lot of
sensitivity. And as a CMO, Imean, that is a different type
of challenge when you're like,man, that's a great story. But
how can we tell it thoughtfullyand even get somebody who is
willing to tell that that sortof a story? Tell me a little bit
(15:07):
more about the the experience ofcreating it consistently brand
story wise while facing thechallenge of, this is a
sensitive issue and a sensitivestory in a lot of cases.
Jenny Collopy (15:17):
No, absolutely. Think has been one of the
biggest surprises to me is thewillingness of our patients to
share their experiences. A lotof them will come out of really
traumatic or hard situations andbe looking for an outlet to give
back and thank their physicians,to thank their organization, or
(15:39):
to spread awareness aroundsomething that they caught or
had symptoms of and don't wantto see somebody else go through.
You know, there's a lot ofresearch behind medical
storytelling and it's a type oftherapy for patients especially
either why they're going throughor coming out of a traumatic
health situation and so, Ican't, I honestly, there is not
(16:03):
probably a single topic thatwe've tried to promote that I
haven't been able to identify asa patient that's willing to come
forward and share their story.So again, I think it goes back
because they have this deepgratefulness towards their
physicians and towards theircare teams that really inspires
them.
(16:24):
And I'm just happy that we canprovide them that outlet. Know,
people have time, treasure, andtalents that they can give. And
we know we're always likehelping people understand all of
their options if they want togive back. But I'm lucky enough
that I get to embrace thetreasure of them being willing
to share their story and helpspread awareness and key
(16:46):
messages on our behalf. Sothat's definitely something that
I think maybe other brands don'texperience that much from a
testimonial standpoint.
Nick Brunker (16:58):
The CMO role in a lot of cases, especially these
days, is equally focused on thecustomer experience, whether
truly in ownership of that roleor certainly a very important
partner in building CX. Andobviously as the show is titled
Human Centered, working throughthe patient's journey in your
(17:20):
industry's case, As a marketer,you're often that first point of
contact, as you mentioned, justgetting people to be willing to
be ambassadors for the brand,setting the tone long before
someone actually walks throughthe door. So let's talk about
how you approach that. And froma marketing perspective, there's
that seamless narrative thatbridges the digital front door,
which still needs to exist, thewebsite, social search,
(17:41):
etcetera, with the in personclinical experience. So when you
think about the patient journey,I'd love to hear more about your
perspective and how you bridgethose things because it is not
like many industries are adigital only experience.
In fact, while they're inhealthcare or more budding
digital experiences and digitalexclusive like, you know,
(18:03):
virtual care, etcetera. You'rein the space of really being
tight when you think bridgingdigital and physical. Let's talk
about that.
Jenny Collopy (18:10):
Yeah, absolutely. So, I mean, I'm very blessed
that I have an amazing marketingteam and they are as ambassadors
about consistency as I am. Ithink the strongest brands are
the ones that have equipped allof their team members to tell
(18:31):
the same brand story no matterwhat setting they're in and also
being proud to tell that story.And so I would say, from what we
push forward, we have a verystrong external campaign. We
launched Everything It Takes in2019.
We did a lot of upfrontresearch, both internally to
(18:51):
assure that it resonated and wasmotivating and inspirational to
our own team members and reallybuilt it from the bottom up to
assure that when people do hitour doors, that they really feel
that my people are doingeverything it takes for me and
for my family. And so thatexternal facing campaign, we are
very intentional and deliberateto assure that that is tight
(19:13):
across all external channels,whether it's TV, whether it's
radio, whether it's socialmedia, that all same look, feel,
tone. And so I think we're verydisciplined in our practice of
bringing that campaign forward.We also take more of like a
blitz agile approach because theshift in the industries is so
(19:38):
volatile in healthcare andopportunities present themselves
often of which we can move intodifferent geographies, can move
into different services orthings that are completely out
of control kind of bubble up,you know, that we need to hop
on. But we know we because wehave that consistent framework
(20:00):
that we can quickly piece thatcampaign together because those
templates, that consistent look,feel that is laid and we have
the equity within the community.
So yeah, so I think doing theheavy work upfront to make sure
that our tagline and our brandpromise to the community is
(20:21):
enforced and emphasized andembraced internally is what's
allowed that campaign to be sosuccessful. And we're also very
deliberate if it doesn't, know,if it's not within the
Everything It Takes campaign, itcan't be outside of evergreen.
So I get five or six things thatcome across my desk a day, a t
(20:43):
shirt design, a flyer design,you know, like something like
the I'm, like, very kindly knownas the brand police here, and I
take pride in that because Ifeel responsible for any touch
point And that has our logo onso, you know, if you're doing
something tie dye, I'll tie mycolor palette, like, I'm not
(21:04):
gonna be like, I'm not gonnaendorse that because the minute
that you take that out in thecommunity or wear it around
here, you're you're you'rewatering down the brand. You're
watering down the consistency.So we are very deliberate in
that discipline in that.
That comes from the top down andis lived, I think throughout.
Nick Brunker (21:26):
The other challenge I'm interested in
unpacking with you is at VML wetalk about brand experience, BX,
the more traditional campaignplanning, etcetera, is making a
promise. And the CX side of thehouse, and it's not this this
pedantic, but the CX side of thehouse is proving the promise.
And obviously, both sides of thecoin have to be collectively
working together, with leaderson both sides of the house.
(21:49):
Where I find it reallyfascinating in your role as a
CMO is you've got the, you know,brand promise, the campaign
planning, all the marketingexecutions, telling really great
stories. And then there's thelived experience once somebody
comes in through the doors.
And that's where the the brandpromise ultimately gets paid off
(22:09):
or not by partnership withclinical and operations and all
the other physical, human beingsand departments that that go
into a good experience. How doyou wrestle with as a CMO in the
role you have here responsiblefor kind of both sides of that,
BX and the CX?
Jenny Collopy (22:29):
Yeah. So, know, in my role, I get to not oversee
all external communication andmarketing, but I also manage all
the internal communication. Andso it's, you know, a very big
piece of our strategy to assurethat our team members know the
mission. They feel like they arepart of a culture of winning.
(22:52):
They're part of a culture ofproviding the best care and feel
that.
And they feel informed and theyfeel inspired to go about their
day. So I almost am finding,especially in these times when
there's high turnover inhealthcare, there's shortages
within physicians, there'sshortages within nurses, Like
(23:16):
that's quickly becoming morethan 50% of my job because I can
say all day that you're going tocome in and get cared for for
the best. But unless I can getthe best here and keep them
here, then I'm not fulfilling mybrand promise. So our fiscal
year twenty six just kicked off,and I think I've spent more time
on our internal communicationstrategy and culture building
(23:38):
efforts and building that out.We launched a new podcast last
week to spotlight amazing teammembers across the organization.
I just, right before I came tothis, presented to our Aspire
University on a whole facilitatea personal branding presentation
to train people on how our ownteam members to go out and be
(24:02):
brand advocates in a responsibleand inspirational way. My days
are starting to look a littlebit different between, you know,
working on a lot of operationalwork within our Forward two
point zero, my marketing side,and then my internal comp side.
Nick Brunker (24:20):
Crazy. And a lot of fun too, I would expect in in
these times where, you know,thinking about, you know,
digital evolution and andtechnology really advancing at a
crazy pace in all industries,especially in health care. There
there, I'm I'm sure areas whereyou're kind of having to look
at, Alright. So how do these newtechnologies bake into our
(24:41):
experience knowing there's somuch privacy and ethical and,
you know, even legal issues yougotta kind of navigate on any
given day? Where do you see thebiggest opportunities for
marketing to reduce friction andanxiety for patients as they
navigate this healthcare system?
Jenny Collopy (24:56):
Well, I think first you have to create an
experience that they're for nowfamiliar with. I mean, we all
want to be the Amazons of theworld. Health care is already a
very stressful situation. Imean, I, you know, I journaled
yesterday. I had a checkup and Imean, my anxiety all day was
(25:16):
through the roof.
Like, I promote health care allday, every day, and I hate going
to the doctor. Like, Iunderstand. Like, like, white
coat anxiety is a real thingbecause you just never know,
like, the information thatyou're gonna get. Right. And so
you could you could live inblissful ignorance and just make
the assumption that everythingis great and nothing will go
wrong, or you can do what I'mtrying to do and is really
(25:39):
encouraged even to my own selfthat prevention is key, early
detection is key, andestablishing a quarterback
relationship with your provideris key.
So, you know, I think like Ihave to internalize and believe
anything that I'm willing to putall of my efforts into. And I'm
even finding myself trying tochange my mindset to really push
(26:02):
out the message effectively andefficiently that, you know, it's
good to come. Now, it'schallenging, right? We are so
there's
Nick Brunker (26:13):
a lot
Jenny Collopy (26:13):
of red tape in healthcare marketing. For sure.
You know, what I say I want tobe the Amazons, but Amazon, you
know, is retargeting. They'reredistributing. We can't do any
of that.
Like we cannot use anyinformation that relates to
healthcare to promote our brandin any way, shape, or form. We
(26:34):
don't even have tracking on ourwebsite. I have no idea how
people are getting to us, wherethey're coming from. Yeah. Yeah.
So we're we're very limited interms of the metrics that we're
able to capture and like in inbeing marketing successful but
just the digital front door allthe way around. I really have to
(26:56):
trust our new patient metrics. Ineed to trust our market share
reports that can prove thatwe're doing what we need to do
to develop that trust in a waythat's responsible and legal.
Nick Brunker (27:08):
Do you see that evolving over time? Because what
I find fascinating in that is itreally doesn't allow for more,
like I would call it modern,what has become a kind of
established practice for if youhave these digital ecosystems,
you're gonna be able to leveragecertain types of data,
obviously, you know, withlimited, know, availability to
(27:31):
certain data in your space. Butdo you see a world where the
shackles come off a little bitor or are we gonna see it go the
opposite way where as more databecomes available, health care
becomes even less restrictive?What a what a crazy, dichotomy
that you're facing. Do you seeit changing at all?
Jenny Collopy (27:49):
I think if anything, it's continually
gotten more restrictive andwe're we're preparing for that.
So I think, you know, wecontinue to try and figure out
ways to show our KPIs and showour value to the organization
and be fiscally responsiblewithout actually being able to
(28:11):
have metrics around cost peracquisition like any normal
business would do. So yeah, Imean, it's definitely a
challenge. But I think at thesame time, it also makes us a
lot more authentic. And justlike, again, the mission is at
the forefront because I don'thave any other metrics or
(28:32):
virtues or ways to show thateverything that we are doing is
leading to a transaction.
I truly am just pushing outamazing stories and taking
community sentiment and takingour new patient and for like
data as to how many people comethrough and how we are in
comparison to our competitors atface value to assure that we're
(28:56):
doing a good job and I don'tmind it because you know, I'm
I'm the warm and fuzzy girl. Mygoal is to make sure that when I
post something on social mediaabout Christ Hospital, that I
have everyone saying that welove you, we love your brand,
and, you know, we wanna utilizeyou. So that to me is my success
metric most of the day.
Nick Brunker (29:17):
No question. And I think the other really
interesting dichotomy you'refaced with is there are patients
who are also consumers of otherthings and they become trained
to have, you know, I'm justgonna completely cross
industries, but two day shippingfrom prime. I can schedule my
appointment for anything that Iwant. I can, you know, pick up
(29:37):
and drop off, you know, whateverI'm buying. Like, I can I can do
any kind of of my activities inmy daily life through my my
digital system, whether it's aniPhone or any other, you know,
handheld, or if I jump on awebsite and I'm gonna mess
around, I can pretty much do allthose things relatively easily?
And all those industries get toreap the benefits of of all the
(29:59):
data and the retargeting, allthe things we talked about in in
modern marketing. Yet there aregonna be some areas that I think
in health care, you got a coupleof challenges you're running up
against. One is is what we justtalked about, which is just the
the ability to leverage thedata. And then two is the fact
you've got similar to maybe someother industries, but I still
think unique to health care. Yougot physicians and physicians
(30:22):
assistants and teams of peoplethat, yeah, it's not as easy as,
yeah, let's just do an onlinescheduler because it's more
nuanced than that when you getto consider Absolutely.
You've got the network and thenyou've got all the physicians
calendars and schedules. Likemany stakeholders in the game to
deliver on the experiences atthe Christ Hospital. How do you,
get to kind of put your thumb inthe soup a little bit on making
(30:46):
the experience well while you'realso, you know, challenged with
all the the hindrances we justtalked about?
Jenny Collopy (30:52):
Yeah, no, this is fun. I actually just told this
story and as a way to kind ofshow off some perseverance. But,
know, so about two and a halfyears ago, we made the decision
coming out of COVID to partnerwith a consultant that would
help us just operationallytransform and really kind of
(31:15):
push forward our growth, oursustainable growth, and look at
some of our internal processesand help clean those up. And so
that project kicked off. Our COOkind of was the transformation
officer over the project.
And I don't know. I can'texplain it, but I just had this
feeling like I need to be a partof this. And so, you know, as
(31:38):
the project was ramping up andthey were putting together the
steering committee, I putfifteen minutes on his calendar
and it just said, Catch up. AndI walked into his office and I
had like an outline of all thereasons that he needed me on
that steering committee. And itwas how to effectively
communicate the why, like whyare we engaging with this
consulting firm?
(31:59):
Why are these people coming intomy offices and telling me that
my operational efficiencies areall wrong? Why are these people
trying to move my cheese? Right?The communication to the
organization that we areengaging in this and the why
behind it, being able to tellthe board members why it's been
successful or why it hasn't,being able to tell the leaders
(32:21):
of these different projects whywe need you to lead these
projects effectively. And youknow, it didn't take that much
convincing.
I got on the steering committeeand, you know, away we went.
Well, about eight months intothe project, he got an
opportunity to be a CEO at ahospital out of state. And so
that transformation officer spotwas open. So I took my list,
(32:45):
then to my boss, and reiteratedall the reasons why I needed to
be over this project. And Ithink, you know, originally it
was to get a stretch project forme as a development opportunity,
but it's become so much morethan that because I get exactly
what you said, the complicatedweave of health care systems.
(33:07):
So I'm working on things in revcycle. I'm working some things
on TCHP in the clinical offices,you know, OR efficiencies, like
clinical variation, like scopesthat were completely outside my
purview.
Nick Brunker (33:23):
Yeah.
Jenny Collopy (33:23):
But realizing that, again, I can't do anything
I'm doing effectively unlessthese are done effectively. And
so to your point about, youknow, being able to seamlessly
access, we we have an accessproblem. There's a high demand
for our services. People want tocome to the Christ Hospital.
Yep.
But there are geographicalbarriers and our inability to
(33:44):
build a lot in NorthernKentucky. There are provider
barriers that we just like can'tcan't get enough of specific
services that people just reallywant of the Christ Hospital. But
we do also have opportunities toget our physicians to be able to
open up more new patientappointments through some
(34:06):
operating standards and thingsof that sort. So being able to
like help facilitate that backend, because I also hear the
voice of the community that wewant you, we need you, like, and
I can't get to you, has been,you know, given me another layer
of appreciation of how hard itis, but how important that is.
Nick Brunker (34:26):
We've talked about strategy and the patient
journey. Now I'd like to focus alittle more on leadership. And
your career is just a fantasticroadmap for aspiring leaders.
You mentioned some of yourexperience elsewhere with
different industry verticals andagency and elsewhere. And we
talked a little bit about yourpath to the role you have now.
You know, you also mentionedbeing able to to be flexible and
(34:50):
nimble. What are some of theother pivotal moments or key
skills that you've developedthat you feel like have prepared
you to take on the leadershipposition that you have now, but
then all the other ancillarythings that you just talked
about, taking on as leader?
Jenny Collopy (35:04):
I think I've really changed my focus over the
last three years in being aleader. I think for so long, I
grew from being an individualcontributor.
Nick Brunker (35:15):
Yeah.
Jenny Collopy (35:16):
I was, you know, good at building campaigns for
my service line. I was good atbuilding communications for, you
know, my responsibilities. Like,I I could deliver on, you know,
the the things that were on myjob description. But what I've
found is that individualcontribution is nothing unless
(35:39):
you're able to lead more peopleto do it. And I'll be honest,
it's been a struggle becauseI've come up through the
marketing team.
I've worn every hat. And sothere's definitely a way that I
did things and still continue tothink that they should be done.
And so I think what I've had tolearn is taking a step back,
(36:01):
surrounding myself with anabsolute A team, which I have in
place right now. My directorsrun this, they run the ship.
That's why I've been able to doall these stretch projects
because I have complete trustand faith in their abilities to
be strategic, to be creative,and to be leaders to the rest of
(36:22):
the team.
So I'm finding that the mostimportant part of leadership is
allowing your leaders to leadand allowing your people to grow
and try new things. And my jobnow, I feel like in the
marketing department, eventhough I like to insert myself
on all the fun things, isremoving barriers. What do you
(36:44):
need in marketing to besuccessful? And let me take that
to the top and figure out wherewe can meet your needs. So it's
definitely evolved, but withoutmy great team, I'm nothing.
And I just have greaterappreciation of that now and
continue to figure out like, howdo I keep them happy? How do I
keep them fulfilled? And how doI continue to help them grow? So
(37:08):
I tell them all the time so theycan take my job.
Nick Brunker (37:11):
Exactly. Building the leaders of the future while
you're leading the organization,for sure. I think it's not an
easy thing to do. And the otherinteresting thing about your
role is you're also the voice ofthe patient within the
organization in a lot of ways.How do you use that role to
champion that patient firstmindset and influence decisions
that are beyond the scope ofyour day to day in your
(37:33):
department?
Jenny Collopy (37:35):
Yeah. I mean, so I was one of my greatest
achievements, I think, is when Ifirst joined the exec team, we
would start every meeting with,like, a quality moment. And it
was usually like, this was thelast fall or this, you know, you
know, thing happened in the OR.And it was like, it it set the
(37:55):
tone for the first two hours ofwhat would be, you know,
sometimes uplifting, sometimesvery stressful, but a meeting
amongst all of our leadership.And I basically asked, like
after my first exec meeting,could we start every meeting
with a mission moment?
And so every Tuesday at execTeam, I start the meeting with
(38:17):
sharing a new story that ranthat week, a letter that was
submitted by one of our patientsthrough Pest Gainey. I share a
video that my team produced.I'll share a Facebook post that
we've had a ton of engagementand love on. And that is how we
start. We start from theperception of our patient.
(38:41):
I try and carry that througheverywhere I go. Now we do that
for every board meeting. Everyboard meeting, I start it with
one of those assets to reallyset the tone or remind people
like budget discussion is goingto be hard today, quality
discussion is going to be hardtoday. But guess what? It's
necessary because of thisperson's story and this
(39:03):
patient's outcome and thisfamily's experience.
I think that those are just twoexamples of how I've made sure
that the patient and what I hearfrom them and the stories they
tell me remain at the forefrontof all we do.
Nick Brunker (39:18):
Looking forward, what do you see as the next big
evolution or challenge forhealthcare marketing and the
role of a CMO in there?
Jenny Collopy (39:27):
Oh boy. That's a great question.
Nick Brunker (39:30):
Leaving with a hard one.
Jenny Collopy (39:32):
No, that's a great question. I think if you
look at the research, a lot ofchief marketing officers
struggle with having a seat atthe table and being able to show
their value to the organization.Commonly, there was an advisory
(39:55):
board survey that the researchjust came out about that. Within
healthcare, a marketing budgetis anywhere from 0.2% to 5% of
the overall net revenue of theorganization. So there's a lot
of discourse and narrativearound the under appreciation of
(40:19):
marketing.
I've never felt that. I'vealways felt like marketing here
at the Christ Hospital andcommunication as well is an
integral part. I feel that fromour leaders that I work with
that are always, they're engagedwith what we are doing. They're
(40:41):
asking, they're telling, they'resharing, they're advising,
they're a part of the marketingteam in my opinion. What I'm
finding is that's noteverywhere.
I think you'll hear that thatcontinues to be a challenge for
marketing teams to be able toshowcase their value. I've not
(41:03):
had that. But it still continuesto be a support service. So
clinical will always be thepriority. I think that's totally
fine, but assuring that wecontinue to make sure that we're
relevant, we're always addingvalue and serving the mission, I
(41:27):
think is just what we have tolock in on.
Nick Brunker (41:29):
That's great. Before we wrap up, I'd love to
do a quick fast facts, off thecuff questions to learn more
about Jenny. And Yeah. I knowthere were a few, so we'll
rattle them off fast before wewrap up. Alright.
First one, is there somethingpeople might be surprised to
learn about you?
Jenny Collopy (41:47):
Well, I think you already know the answer to this,
but I held the three pointrecord at my high school. So I'm
still very proud of that. Gosh,no. I think it was broken like
two years later, but it did getme into my high school sports
hall of fame. So I'm still proudof that.
(42:09):
I still like to, you know, havea good horse and pig games with
my kids to remind them how goodI was. You're you're
Nick Brunker (42:17):
your generation's Caitlin Clark is what you're
telling me. Got it.
Jenny Collopy (42:20):
Yeah, exactly.
Nick Brunker (42:22):
Alright. Number two, what's the most recent
experience that you've gotten tocross off your bucket list?
Jenny Collopy (42:28):
Bucket list? Bucket list. I mean, sounds
super cheesy and corny, and I'mnot just saying this because my
boss might hear this, but thework that I'm able to do in this
operational transformation andreally go beyond just what I
(42:48):
like to call myself, the chiefpicture officer and chief T
shirt officer has been been anabsolute dream. And I just hope
that I continue to be able togrow and and expand, you know,
my contribution to the hospital.
Nick Brunker (43:04):
That's awesome. I guess one one thing that's still
on your bucket list that youwanna cross off next.
Jenny Collopy (43:11):
I got a talking to from my in laws this weekend,
which, first of all, they haveeight kids. So this, like, this
will be crazy for you to hear,but not crazy. But I've never
had a passport. I've never leftthe country ever. Really?
Yes. Wow. And they wereappalled. Like, my father-in-law
(43:31):
was, like, probably in Germanyor somewhere right now. Like, he
travels all over the world.
They both travel a ton. Andthey're like, what do you mean
you never left the country? I'mlike, I've been married to your
son for fifteen years. Like,when do you think I left the
country? Like, you would havebeen babysitting if I left the
country.
Nick Brunker (43:50):
You know this. You should know this.
Jenny Collopy (43:51):
You know this. But yeah. So I do have
ambitions, to potentially travelabroad at some point.
Nick Brunker (44:00):
What's on your list? I mean, do you have, like
let's just say you have a chanceto go somewhere first out of the
country. Do you have one on thelist already in mind?
Jenny Collopy (44:08):
I think our family would like to go to
Ireland. My husband has verydeep roots in Ireland. My in
laws have traveled there. All mybrothers and sister in laws have
traveled. We're the only onesthat have not been.
So I feel like just to keep upin conversation, I need to get
there.
Nick Brunker (44:24):
Your social calendar requires this. So I
think it's
Jenny Collopy (44:28):
time to
Nick Brunker (44:29):
go get a passport. So Exactly. Jenny, such a great
conversation. We've covered somuch. Thank you so much for
taking the time.
I know you're swamped with allthe things that we just talked
about on your day to day. Wereally appreciate you sharing
your expertise and perspectives,and hopefully, we can do this
again soon. Thanks.
Jenny Collopy (44:45):
I would love to. Thank you so much for having me.
Nick Brunker (44:48):
And thanks to you all for listening to human
centered as well. If you'd liketo connect with Jenny, we've
included her LinkedIn profile inthe show notes, and you can also
learn more about the innovativework they're doing by visiting
the christhospital.com. We'dalso love to hear your feedback
on the show. You can give us arating and offer up your
thoughts wherever you get yourpodcasts, including Apple,
Spotify, Stitcher, Amazon, andmore. If you have a topic idea
(45:10):
or just wanna drop us a line,you can connect with me on x at
Nick Bunker, or just shoot us anemail.
The address ishumancentered@VML.com. Thanks
again for listening. We'll seeyou next time.
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