American Society for Dermatologic Surgery
“Expertise for the Life of Your Skin” Public Awareness Campaign
Overview
The American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS) is the largest U.S. specialty organization exclusively representing board-certified dermatologic surgeons, physicians with unique expertise in the health, function, and aesthetic well-being of skin throughout life. With an increasingly competitive landscape that includes plastic surgeons, med spas, and aestheticians, ASDS sought a strategic campaign to elevate consumer awareness of member expertise and drive patient engagement.
The Challenge
ASDS faced a dual challenge:
- Differentiation in a crowded market: While ASDS member dermatologists are widely regarded as the skin experts, that expertise was not consistently recognized outside clinical or academic circles.
- Consumer education and preference: Patients often defaulted to more familiar or visible providers (e.g., plastic surgeons and spas) despite ASDS members offering both cosmetic and medically necessary care.
The Society engaged Springboard to design a campaign that would cut through noise, educate consumers about the value of ASDS membership, and help members connect that credibility directly with patients.
Objectives
The campaign was built around four key strategic goals:
- Establish consumer preference for ASDS member dermatologists by clearly demonstrating their training and expertise.
- Raise awareness of ASDS members and their leadership across all areas of skin health.
- Educate consumers on why choosing an ASDS member matters and how to find one.
- Equip members with co-brandable marketing tools to reinforce their expertise locally and enhance patient engagement.
Springboard’s Approach
Springboard developed a multichannel public awareness and consumer education campaign centered on the theme “Expertise for the Life of Your Skin.” The campaign blended brand positioning, targeted creative, and practical tools that ASDS members could deploy directly with their patients.
Key components included:
Member Marketing Toolkit
A comprehensive toolkit provided to every member that included:
Co-Brandable – Print Ad / Easel-Backed Display Signs
That members could display in their practices.
Postcard & Invoice Stuffers
To reinforce ASDS expertise with existing patients.
Static Banner Ads & Animated GIFs
Designed for digital channels, directing consumers to educational resources and the ASDS member finder.
Social Media Templates
To support consistent messaging across practice-level digital outreach.
These tools helped unify the Society’s external messaging and enabled members to communicate expertise consistently at the local level.
Creative Execution
Springboard infused the campaign with a cohesive visual and verbal identity that balanced professional credibility with approachable consumer language. Messaging emphasized the unique qualifications of ASDS member dermatologists, from surgical precision to lifelong skin health, while avoiding clinical jargon that might alienate broad audiences.
The strategy positioned ASDS members as skin experts who combine medical training with cutting-edge options, making it easier for consumers to see clear value in choosing a dermatologist who is also a member of their specialty society.
Results
The campaign produced measurable impact in its first year:
22% increase in procedural volume among
ASDS members, a
significant uptake compared to a 7% increase in the
year prior to the campaign.
This outcome demonstrated that clearer, more consistent consumer education could influence patient
decision-making and translate into tangible growth for member practices.
Why It Matters
ASDS’s campaign underscores a broader strategic truth for medical societies: member expertise must be not only credible but also visible and understandable to the public. In competitive healthcare markets, differentiation only matters when target audiences recognize and trust it.
Springboard’s integrated strategy bridged that gap — aligning message, medium, and member-level execution to expand awareness and drive demand.