Hospital Branding

At a recent conference, I heard much chatter about whether it really matters if a health system becomes a brand. And, if it does, what are some new messages and promises it can state that are actually of interest to the community. Here are five ideas that health systems can consider for their brand based on research, community attitudes and needs, leadership vision and cultural relevance. Yes, health systems should continue to brand and always seek a position that is new and interesting! Access to Services First and foremost, a health system ensures that people have access to healthcare services. Without a well-functioning health system, people may have to travel long distances to receive medical care. This can be a significant barrier to accessing care, especially for those who live in rural areas. A strong health system ensures that people have access to a range of services, including primary care, emergency care, and specialist care. Promoting Health Secondly, a health system plays ...

Twenty years ago, when some companies were “printing money,” corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies were often developed as a way to deflect consumer attention away from big profits, write-off more expenses, and – in fairness to those who did – do good for the sake of society. Studies prove that CSR has a positive impact on a brand; increasing preference, loyalty, and engagement. The companies benefit, too, with less employee turnover and more revenue. That was then. This is now, and CSR seems to have taken a back seat. Not saying it doesn’t exist, but it  appears  less visible and instrumental in brand strategies. There are probably good reasons for this; certainly digital media is highly targeted and therefore these types of initiatives are not as mainstream as they once were, markets are much more competitive and some brands can’t afford to spread budgets too thin, and senior marketing people are less willing to take risks and implement programs that don’t ge...

According to Deepak Chopra in his bestselling book  The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success ,  “How can I help?” is the only question that truly matters.  “It coaxes and expands your awareness out toward the service and care of others.” Many medical associations struggle with articulating an effective value proposition that helps their members expand awareness and services. Establishing this in clear and compelling manner is an essential step if you want to communicate how your organization can provide the keys to your members’ success. There are some important steps you must take before embarking upon creating your medical association’s value proposition. It all begins and ends with research. So where do you start? Here’s a brief 3-step plan. Refine your target audience First and foremost, you need to determine who your “key” target audience is. You can’t be “all things” to “all people.” Many have tried, and failed. But by clearly defining and refining your tru...

This week’s Modern Healthcare magazine, long a leading industry publication for healthcare and hospital executives, recapped the number of “mega-mergers” taking place in the industry during the first quarter of 2017.   The article cites four such mergers between eight $1 billion healthcare organizations.   According to a managing director of a larger international financial advisory firm in the healthcare industry, this is a trend that is likely to accelerate as hospital companies want “regional, if not national, reach to be more attractive to patients and insurers.” Additionally, the article cites that many academic medical centers are operating at near capacity and are seeking community hospital partners to take patients requiring less intensive cases.   This is opposite of a few years ago, when these same large academic providers were partnering with community hospitals to generate more referrals for their highly specialized programs that require volume to ...

Summer is typically that season when, between vacations and short attention spans, your brand pretty much runs on autopilot.  Hello fall and the brisk change in colors and temperatures.  Suddenly, it seems that everything is due at once and demands on the marketing department have gone full throttle. Before you jump right back into it, now is the perfect time to give your brand a check-up to make sure it’s healthy, vibrant, and able to keep pace with the changing market.  The year-end is fast approaching, budgets are due, and performances will be measured. A suggested brand check-up is below and I recommend you schedule it on an annual basis.  There is just too much happening in the industry today to risk having your brand be at risk for the ills of “same ol’, same ol’.” Cleanse, clear your head, and breathe : The best prep and start for your brand check-up is to clear your head and breathe.  There are several hospital marketing conferences coming up (S...

Separated by a mere three letters, there's a world of difference between the words "brand" and "branding."  Too often, they are used interchangeably and interpreted in many different ways.  Common terms associated with both words include "naming," "identity," "tagline," "packaging," "advertising," and so forth, mainly centered around tactical elements. In our experience working with organizations in the service sector, the difference between the two ideas comes down to this:  A brand is a destination, where you want to end up, while branding is the journey or the roadmap to get you there. There are other important differences between the two terms, some dealing with dollars and others that just make sense. A brand is a goal; branding is a strategy. From the breakthrough book, "Positioning - The battle for your mind," (Trout and Ries), establishing a market position is a goal, it's where yo...

The next wave of digital marketing requires brand builders to either SWIM or sink. Digital marketing is no longer the after-thought in the marketing plan.   In fact, it should be front and center in your discussions about the most effective ways to market your organization's products and services.   While traditional, off-line communications still has its place in terms of promoting a brand message and satisfying goals related to awareness and preference, digital marketing is the “go to” for achieving behavioral metrics and creating customer transactions. At a recent healthcare strategy conference, savvy marketing guy Chris Bevolo of Interval, presented on the topic of digital marketing.   In his presentation, Chris stressed that digital marketing strategies must be considered first, and in this order: search, web, and mobile.   Marketers need to think through how consumers will search their brand, where it will take them, and how they are search...

Branding is a strategy designed to establish a unique (brand) position for a product or service in the minds of your customers.  Tactical elements for implementing this strategy include identity development, design architecture, advertising, sales promotion, operational enhancements, signage, and the list goes on. There, I've said it.  Had to get that out of my system after reading so many new blogs and articles about branding in the last few weeks.  While I'm glad to see a resurgence in the term, there are still too many definitions and interpretations of what branding means.  But this is to be expected as the dynamics and tools of the marketing communications field are fast-changing, especially in hospital branding. The promotional component of the brand strategy has also changed.  Brand communications, on the heels of an explosive third dimension based on Internet usage,  is now entering the Fourth Dimension. Here's how the evolution has unfol...

You have a new name, an exciting new brand platform, and a breakthrough idea for an ad campaign.  You're ready for launch!  Then budgeting reality hits and now you feel like a NASA astronaut stuck on the launch pad, grounded by a weather delay or mechanical issue.  Dollars spent on the up-front planning phase have greatly reduced what's available on the back-end.  Or, senior leadership has determined that operational issues need to be in place prior to launch and these costs are coming out of your budget. With countless branding initiatives taking place among hospitals throughout the U.S., balancing budget issues with effective brand launch plans might have you seeing stars, and not from light years away. A new brand strategy is more than just the promotional component.  It's actually a 5-step process that includes developmental, operational, inspirational, promotional, and cultural elements - all competing for marketing launch dollars.  So, given l...