The Problem:
John-Kenyon Eye Center is a local eye center that focuses on the latest in Lasik and E-Lasik technology. The John-Kenyon Eye Centers also has two locations: Louisville and Southern Indiana. Although it had grown to become a well respected eye center among its current customer base, they did not have enough new patients or referrals to hit their new quotas. John-Kenyon hired a new Marketing Director, Kevin Gibson in July of 2002 and the partnership began.

The Process:


Kevin Gibson called on Maverick Marketing and Media to aide John-Kenyon in the new 2003 advertising campaign. Cox Radio Account Manager, Michael Steltenpohl worked closely with Maverick Marketing and Media and with Kevin to develop creative ideas and combat the direct challenges John-Kenyon faces. The team conducted a customer needs analysis with Kevin and found out that in 2003, John-Kenyon's main focus was going to be on monthly seminars to produce qualified leads and brand awareness. We also determined that a new approach was key! The team held several brainstorming sessions including all parties to develop an idea that would both create qualified leads and give them a niche in the very competitive Lasik arena. The goal, to create an awareness/charity campaign that would gain community response!

NOTE

: The process continues, the contest has been become an annual event and grows each year.


 

The Plan:


Based on the information gained from these meetings, Cox and Maverick developed the "John-Kenyon EYEdol" promotion. The promotion was a web-based promotion with Prevent the Blindness as the charity involved. We set up several live remotes at area events and establishments: Gaslight Festival, Oxmoor Center and Greentree Mall. At these events we had a modeling agency taking digital photos of the faces of contestants. There were 5 age categories and prizes ranged from $250 savings bonds to $1,000 and a oneyear modeling contract. Each week the photos were posted on all Cox radio station websites and voted upon by listeners. We then posted weekly winners in each age category and those contestants were then qualified for the finals. The event would culminate at the tailgating of the UofL Football homecoming.

The Performance:


The first week saw a great turnout and the contest grew as the weeks passed. We ended up having over 27,500 votes throughout this 4-week promotion. Kevin at John-Kenyon notes, "Because of the hard work and dedication of Mike, April and your fellow Cox employees, the contest turned out bigger and more successful than any of us ever dreamed, with hundreds of candidates and nearly 50,000 hits. And yes, I do attribute that success to all the great people at Cox." Kevin also stated that the number of inquiries in September 2003 was roughly 40% higher than the same month in the prior year. "Our presence on Cox Radio was a huge factor in this turnaround." Kevin said.