We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Cynthia Ruf a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Cynthia, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. To kick things off, we’d love to hear about things you or your brand do that diverge from the industry standard.

My career has always been focused on the marketing/communications industry, but for the last 16 years or so I have performed those roles in the healthcare industry. I like to think I push past the typical healthcare marketing box by bringing in experiences from other industries and by being disciplined enough to focus on the research and data and then intuitive enough to bring in the critical component of emotion to creative execution. Last year I was lucky to find a perfect fit for my talents at an incredible addiction treatment and research center, Wellbridge. I find it very natural to push marketing efforts for Wellbridge forward, as Wellbridge is on the cutting edge of getting patients to the other side of addiction. Wellbridge uses a R.A.R.E., Research Assisted Recovery Emphasis, approach to develop clinical plans that relate specifically to the needs of the individual. In short, Wellbridge treats each person like a person and addiction, now referred to as substance use disorder, as a treatable disease. We also aim to combat stigma so more people can openly find the help and hope they need.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I have worked on all sides of marketing, from the agency side to the corporate side, from large organizations with established brands to developing new brands. I focus on delivering powerful and innovative strategic marketing plans that produce meaningful results. There are many necessary components to these plans including advertising, digital, social, public relations, community relations and more. In order to be effective, both the goals and plan component execution must be deeply entwined with the reality of the organization and the reality of the climate and competitive landscape surrounding the organization. I believe truth in marketing comes from getting to the heart of an organization, uncovering its differentiators, and understanding its people – from leadership to the front line. I am proud of translating the pulse of the organization into messages that resound and mediums that hit the target.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I believe in the mission of Wellbridge. I believe I can help harness the power of what Wellbridge is able to offer by building a strong, recognizable brand and ultimately connecting our services to everyone who is a match for our program. Seeing those patients leave our doors with a completely different perspective on their disease, and a clearer understanding of the inner strength they possess to fight it, is enough motivation to bring creativity to every detail of every marketing initiative under my watch.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

Over the past year we have grown our brand with statistically significant increases in everything from brand awareness to brand preference which has translated to an increase in inquiries and ultimately patients served. This all happened from a concerted effort to build reputation and establish world class marketing. We’ve built up an incredible team of experts in the field of business development, social media, event management, creative development, media planning and buying, digital development and advertising, and public relations. All of these team members are driven by the same mission and work in concert with each other to reach our marketing goals and exceed benchmarks. This next year we’ll go even further…

Contact Info:

• Website: https://wellbridge.org/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wellbridgetreatment/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WellbridgeAddictionTreatment/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wellbridge-addiction-treatment-and-research/mycompany/verification/?viewAsMember=true
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/wellbridgeny
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHe5nwNmJghzsn0u8Bzm_5A

Image Credits
Bob Giglione