Inside OrthoCarolina’s new-media ad strategy
Plus: Soccer club building new HQ building in Pineville; Government crackdown on former Wells execs; What food-delivery service in Charlotte is cheapest?
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’Relevant’ marketing builds loyal following among 125 partners; support ‘changed the trajectory’ for local media start-ups
If you read local digital media, go to local sporting events or listen to local podcasts, you’ve probably heard the name of OrthoCarolina, the big Charlotte-based orthopedic practice.
And that’s just how OrthoCarolina wants it.
Like almost no other company in the Charlotte region, OrthoCarolina has embraced a strategy far different than the traditional TV and newspaper ads and boosted social media posts that are staples of usual marketing. Instead of paying for clicks or promoting its own corporate content, OrthoCarolina is spreading money around to 125 different organizations in the area and hoping to become top of mind when you inevitably twist your ankle, tear your meniscus or dislocate your shoulder.
It’s a strategy that’s not risk-free, because it is unusual for Charlotte, and the company exercises no control of messages emanating from its many partners. But Blair Primis, the company’s senior vice president of marketing and talent management, tells The Ledger that the company’s approach reaches millennials and others where they actually are and builds long-term goodwill. He’s also credited with helping many of Charlotte’s new-media startups get off the ground.
“We are a part of so many things,” Primis explains. The key, he says, is reaching potential future customers and “being relevant in their lives.”
As Primis elaborated on a recent podcast:
Nobody woke up this morning who feels good and is like, “Let me see what’s going in the news. Let me check my Google homepage. I wonder what’s going on in orthopedics today? Let me just check out orthocarolina.com.” No one does that.
Since they don’t, I need to be relevant in their world. If I have an article that got into their news feed about why yoga is good for your lower back, or talking about what proper shoes you should wear, or that we are supporting a community walk effort in FreeMoreWest … it becomes much more appropriate for us to be part of their world than making them be part of ours.
Primis declined to disclose OrthoCarolina’s marketing budget, other than to say it’s about 1% of the company’s revenue. His marketing team consists of five people. OrthoCarolina, the third-largest private orthopedic practice in the country, has 150 doctors at 30 locations between Winston-Salem and Charlotte. It was formed in 2005, with the merger of Charlotte Orthopedic Specialists and Miller Orthopaedic Clinic.
Primis joined 10 years ago after stints in marketing at McDonald’s and at an agency. The strategy he has pioneered taps into many of the changes afoot in marketing and consumer preferences:
Customer source: Traditionally, customers come from referrals. OrthoCarolina’s approach goes directly to potential patients.
Demographics: With so many newcomers in Charlotte, Primis believes OrthoCarolina needs to be out in the community constantly and not just rely on having a strong, well-established brand.
Long-term vs. short-term: While older consumers are more likely to need orthopedic care, OrthoCarolina’s strategy appeals in large part to the active under-40 set — who like it or not will be older someday.
OrthoCarolina has put money into supporting high school sports, 10K races and community walks. In local media, it has backed Charlotte Agenda, the Queen City Podcast Network, a soccer site called Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea and an advertorial publication aimed at women called Scoop Charlotte.
As part of its marketing strategy, OrthoCarolina has moved aggressively to sponsor several digital media start-ups in Charlotte, whose founders credit the orthopedic practice for their success.
More than banner ads: The company’s approach is “definitely not conventional,” says Glenn Burkins, publisher of Qcitymetro, a digital publication aimed at African Americans that does not count OrthoCarolina as an advertiser. OrthoCarolina, he says, was one of the first locally to realize that it should associate with organizations that have dedicated followings, not just throw money somewhere to spread a marketing message. “People realize they need to do something more than simply put a banner ad on a site.”
That approach has represented a lifeline to new local media companies.
“In Charlotte, we have this really neat ecosystem of experimental media. I don’t think you’d have that otherwise,” says Andrew Dunn, a former editor with Charlotte Agenda and a former Observer reporter.
Tears of joy: Some founders of those companies agree:
In a statement to the Ledger, Agenda founder Ted Williams said OrthoCarolina became its first advertising partner in 2015, “when the Agenda was just a five-page point deck. I remember calling my wife on the car ride home from that meeting and crying as I told her the news. Their decision to buy advertising from us changed the trajectory of our company.”
Susu Bear, publisher of Scoop Charlotte, said: “OrthoCarolina was one of our first underwriters and helped us launch both the Fitness and Women’s Health categories on our platform, which in turn supported dozens of small, local businesses, particularly those owned or operated by women.”
(Editor’s note: In case you’re wondering, The Ledger has neither sought nor been offered money by OrthoCarolina, and we don’t accept sponsorships from companies we write about.)
There are occasional controversies. The company used to back the Charlotte Eagles soccer team, which came under fire in 2016 for its religious stance that prohibited gay players. OrthoCarolina no longer sponsors the team. Primis says potential customers are smart enough to distinguish between an organization’s policies and those of a sponsor.
Competition: Success in advertising can be hard to quantify. OrthoCarolina, Primis says, is doing well, and it needs to stay strong to ward off future competitors. Atrium Health and Novant Health also have orthopedic and sports-medicine practices.
The next frontier, Primis says, is voice search — using Alexa and other personal assistants. The field is growing quickly, and OrthoCarolina, like other companies, wants to be there.
“If we’re not ready for that,” Primis says, “we will miss the opportunity to get patient volume.”
Youth soccer club will be kickin’ it in new Pineville HQ building
Charlotte Soccer Academy is building a new 10,000 s.f. headquarters at its soccer complex in Pineville. It will house club offices, a board room, a video analysis room, weight room and physical therapy in conjunction with Architech Sports and Physical Therapy. The front of the building will have 60-yard running lanes for Architech to train clients, including “some NFL and NBA players going through rehab,” said CSA executive director Brad Wylde. The new building costs about $2.3M and is expected to open in April.
Today’s supporting sponsor is The McIntosh Law Firm & Carolina Revaluation Services:
In brief
Nature Museum battle not finished? At a meeting Thursday night, the board of the SouthPark Association of Neighborhoods strongly supported the idea of moving the Nature Museum expansion to Park Road Park. “We welcome the opportunity to work with staff to explore how to improve the site to fit Discovery Place’s vision,” spokeswoman Hilary Larsen told The Ledger. “We understand that Freedom Park is the preferred site in terms of outdoor amenities and programming but welcome the chance to have this incredible facility.” Some Myers Park residents oppose expanding the museum at Freedom Park, but the county and Discovery Place this week seemed determined to keep it there. SPAN represents 27 neighborhoods and condo associations in the SouthPark area.
Hammer drops on Wells Fargo execs: Federal regulators announced an agreement with former Wells CEO John Stumpf that bars him from working in banking for life and fines him $17.5M for his role in the bank’s fake-accounts scandal. They’re also seeking to ban and fine the head of the community bank unit, Carrie Tolstedt. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency said it plans “to target other individuals, including former executives, for their role in the scandals.” (CNBC)
New shelter: “The Men’s Shelter of Charlotte/Urban Ministry Center plans to break ground on a new, 196-bed emergency homeless shelter this spring at its Statesville Avenue site.” (Observer)
Krystal bankruptcy: Southeastern fast food chain Krystal filed for bankruptcy protection this week. The chain cited “increasing competition, shifting consumer tastes and the rise of online delivery platforms.” Its website lists one restaurant in North Carolina (Murphy) and three in South Carolina (Aiken, Gaffney, North Augusta). (The McDonald’s on South Boulevard in Sedgefield used to be a Krystal.) (CNN)
Brisk ticket sales: Charlotte’s new Major League Soccer team has received more than 22,000 deposits for season tickets. (Observer, first reported by Biz Journal’s Erik Spanberg on Twitter)
Ballantyne-area rental townhouses: Northwood Raven is planning to build 108 rental townhouses at 14624 Lancaster Highway, west of Ballantyne. “The townhomes will offer a range of amenities, including rooftop terraces and screened-in porches.” (Agenda)
Uptown tower and grocery: Armada Hoffler Properties will be the majority partner and lead developer in a joint venture on the Ten Tryon project uptown. The project, on North Tryon Street between 9th and 10th streets, includes a 15-story tower, 175,000 s.f. of office space and a new Publix grocery store on the ground floor. It’s expected to break ground in the 2Q of this year and be complete by the summer of 2022.
Union labor: North Carolina had the second-lowest share of workers who were members of unions in 2019, at 2.3%, according to data this week from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. South Carolina had the lowest, at 2.2%. (BLS)
New name: Overcash Demmitt Architects has changed its name to ODA Architecture, following the retirement of partner Tim Demmitt, the company said.
Panthers end-zone PSL controversy brewing? A lively discussion ensues over on Reddit, where a Panthers fan says the team called him and gave him a lowball offer to buy out his season tickets: “They’ve ripped out the first 8 rows of both endzones and they’ve turned them into suites. … They’re offering $2950/ticket (125% of the original purchase price) which was $2300 or to put us in new seats somewhere in like the upper bowl. … They are screwing fans who have owned these seats for 25 years while shouting ‘our fans come first!!!!’” (Reddit)
Loves me some internet
WSOC’s Joe Bruno investigates confusing signs in the Union County town of Stallings:
After Bruno started investigating, a worker covered the signs with trash bags. Bruno reported:
The signs are related to the future express lane project on I-485. They were supposed to be installed facing each other and ideally covered. There is no timeline for when the detour will be put into place, but when it is, the signs will be displayed in a much less confusing manner.
Food and drink news
A weekly wrap-up of the week’s eating and drinking developments
Charlotte’s food-influencer culture
Charlotte magazine published a remarkable article this week that examined the state of food criticism in Charlotte. Writer Keia Mastrianni says she went to a recent media preview of a restaurant opening in South End and was surprised how quiet it was even though 25 people were there. Why?
All but three of the 25 are food and fashion “influencers” (read: Instagrammers) or bloggers, many of whom are accustomed to compensation for their photos and promotion-heavy blog posts with social clout, access to more events, or money. Most are confined to their phones, either shooting video or focused on getting the right still shot.
The rest of the piece delves into what exactly Charlotte has lost by replacing traditional dining critics with social-media influencers. The problem isn’t that people who blog and post about local restaurants aren’t honest or don’t have valid points of view. Rather, it’s that it’s getting tough for diners to distinguish between honest opinion and paid promotion.
Mastrianni observes:
There’s always been an element of promotion in these events; I’m not naïve. But the pre-influencer era achieved a rough balance between restaurateurs’ desire to spread the word about their establishments and journalists’ duty to inform readers rather than please their sources in exchange for money, food, followers, and access. Now, what passes for “information” in Charlotte’s dining scene consists of carefully choreographed photos and videos for social media feeds—and little else.
Briefly
Uptown cigar bar, rooftop bar: The five-story Binaco Tower under construction on Fifth Street between Tryon and College streets uptown will include an “upscale cigar lounge” and a rooftop bar with a “feminine flair.” (Biz Journal)
Discovery Place adult sleepover: Discovery Place is holding an Antarctica-themed overnight slumber party for 200 people ages 21+ at its science museum uptown Feb. 21. Late-night snacks “include chicken tenders, French fries, pizza, and a Mediterranean plate,” and a there’s a “cash bar with beer, wine, and liquor.” The cost is $105 and “everyone is sleeping on the floor.” (Don’t tell Myers Park neighbors of Discovery Place’s nature museum about this one.) (Agenda)
The next frontier: CharlotteFive writer claims that in order to be “a force to be reckoned with,” Charlotte needs “ball pit bars,” restaurants “lifted with a crane off of the ground while you experience a full three-course meal” and Hello Kitty-themed coffee shops. (CharlotteFive)
Ledger recommendation: You should watch “Cheer” this weekend on Netflix. Trust me on this one.
Reader service: Dion Beary over at the refreshingly honest food blog Inside 485 compared the costs of food-delivery services DoorDash, Grubhub, Uber Eats and Postmates in Charlotte. Conclusion: “With this admittedly small sample size, Uber Eats was on average slightly cheaper than Grubhub, which was slightly cheaper than DoorDash. All three were significantly less expensive than Postmates.” Or, he writes, you might consider going to pick it up yourself: “You pay extra to get food that takes longer, delivered to you lukewarm in a styrofoam tray by a stranger who can barely figure out how to park at your building.” (Inside 485)
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The Charlotte Ledger is an e-newsletter and web site publishing timely, informative, and interesting local business news and analysis Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, except holidays and as noted. We strive for fairness and accuracy and will correct all known errors. The content reflects the independent editorial judgment of The Charlotte Ledger. Any advertising, paid marketing, or sponsored content will be clearly labeled.
The Charlotte Ledger is published by Tony Mecia, an award-winning former Charlotte Observer business reporter and editor. He lives in Charlotte with his wife and three children.