Hospital Branding

As 2020 approaches, there are important changes to make in order to help improve your personal and professional success in healthcare marketing. 1. Focus on growth and business building, not marketing Marketing in many healthcare organizations still lands on the promotional side of the equation.  Successful marketers are those who understand the growth goals of their organization and develop strategies, beyond campaigns and clicks, to generate revenue and support new customer acquisition.  Marketers need to shift their “frame of reference” from “doing marketing” to “leading organizational growth through marketing.”  This will earn you a more favorable spot in the C-Suite and among your team.   2. Develop the right dashboards You’re too focused on the promotional side of things when your marketing “dashboard” consists of primarily digital terms that leave the C-Suite in the dust.  When you include business metrics, your dashboard will light up and prov...

Direct mail as a healthcare advertising tactic has undoubtedly declined in volume over the past decade. One of the contributing factors, of course, has been the rise and surge of digital and social media platforms, both allowing healthcare brands to effectively and efficiently deliver their message to consumers where they are; on line, on their phones, and always on demand, and looking for healthy supplements as  the best extract  of kratom you can purchase online. As a result, marketers are increasingly putting more of their budget into these new channels to the tune of over $70 Billion, nearly tripling its spend in the last eight years. In the mix, you’ll still find big traditional media such as television, radio, and (magazine) print.  These media are proven brand support and many of the elements can be shared with other platforms whether on line videos, banner ads, Pandora radio, etc. – so, all in all a very cost effective balance of new and old. Under the...

Do you have headlines, copy, banner ads or other tactical elements that seem to be bouncing back and forth between you and your advertising agency?  Are you frustrated that your communication blends into the marketplace and doesn’t allow your organization to stand apart in a meaningful way?  Do internal stakeholders seem nonchalant over your new “branding” campaign or communication initiative? If you answered “yes” to any or all of the above, it might be time to rethink your strategy versus yet another redo to an existing concept or strategy that is either off course or has run that way. Too often, agencies and clients go round and round on creative executions and can’t quite pinpoint what it is that isn’t working.  Worse, yet, is the old “I’ll know it when I see it” conversation, that agencies seem to be hearing more and more these days. Keep this in mind:  If at three it’s not in sync, it’s time to rethink.  After a third revision, it’s not the execu...

If you've attended a marketing or branding conference, you'll agree there are dozens of definitions of the term "branding."  From the creation of an identity to the production of a commercial, the word certainly gets a lot of use (and misuse) and is attached to many meanings.  I recently attended Brand ManageCamp, a global gathering on branding where many well-known experts and authors shared their wisdom.  David Aaker, considered to be today’s branding guru by many and author of the recent “Aaker on Branding,” spoke and his insights helped me round out the right definition of the term. I will admit, however, it’s tough to sum up "branding" in a single statement, so here are the “5 E’s of Branding," to put on your mental shelf next to the “4 P’s of Marketing.”   1.   Essence As Aaker explains, the brand essence is the first step in determining your brand strategy and reflects "the higher purpose of your brand and the reason it exis...

Great brands make a promise to consumers and deliver real value.  They go beyond "feature/benefits" and improve the way we feel, perform, and enjoy life.  Think about your favorite brands and the messages they communicate; most likely one or more of these lofty platforms are covered. A recent consumer study was conducted to peel back benefits and uncover what really drives consumers to certain brands.  These are called "heartbeat" brand attributes because they, well, make hearts beat with excitement, passion, and hope. In the 2014 "Heartbeat Brand" survey, conducted by Springboard Brand & Creative Strategy, consumers (N=225) were asked, "How important are the following characteristics of a heartbeat brand?"  The top three that emerged as "very important/important" were: Reflects a personal passion           69% Improves health and well-being    66 Expands my knowledge               ...

In a quest to discover which attributes consumers attach to their favorite brands, Springboard Brand & Creative Strategy recently conducted a survey among 200 U.S households.  The findings, soon to be published in an e-Book, "Heartbeat Brands and What Makes Them Tick," cover a variety of topics and will shed many insights on brand strategies. As a sneak peak, one key finding of the study reinforces what Ford and Zenith understood decades ago:  "Quality is Job 1" and "Quality goes in before the name goes on."  Back in the day, these famous brands owned the "Q" word and it did wonders for their sales and lasted a generation in advertising life years (about 10:1 in human years).  Other automobile and television manufacturers staked out different brand claims and let Ford and Zenith run with the quality strategy. Hospitals also use the Q word in their branding and marketing strategies, too freely and frighteningly often. One problem with...

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...

We recently attended an American Marketing Association brand leadership breakfast, featuring  Rodrigo Sierra , CMO & SVP of the American Medical Association. In addition to providing insights on leading his organization in a challenging marketplace, he discussed the evolution of the organization’s brand – brands they have shed, and how they want their brand to be perceived in the future. When a marketer gives a presentation there should be a dose of cleverness. When describing brand types they have moved away from, he did not disappoint, and offered: “Brandpa” – a grand old brand – tired and in need of some renewed vigor. “Brandelabra” – a multi-pronged brand strategy where each remains siloed, shines equally, but tends to fizzle out over time. We couldn't stop ourselves from expanding on his examples and thinking what we’d call many of the brands we see as we look at healthcare systems and associations.  Some common brand strategies th...

For years, marketers involved in the branding of healthcare organizations have been frustrated about their role in delivering on customer service.  In essence, delivering on the brand promise.  Unlike traditional consumer goods and services, where the customer transaction can be standardized - think hot burgers and personal shoppers - healthcare organizations have multiple layers of customer interactions which fall on the ability of individuals, not processes, to deliver.  Additionally, healthcare consumers are not necessarily customers by choice.  There are some exceptions to this, but for the most part it's not where and how people want to spend their time. As a result of this inability to control the delivery of customer service across the total enterprise, hospitals have looked for other brand platforms that can be more consistent.  Technology, clinical breakthroughs, quality rankings, and national accreditations are examples of common hospital bran...

Organizations in every industry are recognizing that the "silo mentality" or vertical strategy is  an ineffective and disruptive way of doing business. The horizontal strategy has emerged as a best practice and enables cross-thinking among employee departments and populations.  Automobile and technology leaders were among the first to recognize that bringing engineering, design, marketing, and financial teams together provides far better returns than those passing strategic plans from one department to another. The same strategy holds true for hospitals seeking to brand their organizations in their respective markets.  The days of developing a brand platform in the marketing department and then informing the rest of the enterprise about what it is and how employees should act are quickly disappearing.  Those organizations that include teams and staff in the development and cultural integration of the brand will create brand champions who contribute to t...

Since we're in the middle of "Conference Season" - yes, that time of year when squeeze balls and personalized pens go flying off the exhibit tables - I'm pleased to report that the topics of branding and strategy are, once again, in the conversation.  For the past couple years, or so it seems, break-out sessions and keynote addresses have centered on the "hot picks" including social networks, digital media, and mobile technology. And while these subjects are still the bullseye of marketing agendas, the context is brand strategy  and, at least for now, the dog is back in charge of wagging the tail. There are several key factors and forces which appear to be influencing this shift in context, away from tactical marketing to strategy and branding.  Based on the conferences I've attended thus far this Fall, here are a few: The "Steve Jobs" Effect - Maybe it's the surging stock price of Apple, or the upcoming one-year anniversary of h...

Like everything else, it seems that internal marketing is undergoing a transformation - moving from the "touchy-feely" era of benefits to those that really hit the bottom-line hard.  Especially in these times of acquisitions, affiliations, and other cooperative arrangements. Several summertime events have reinforced what we've thought all along - the value of building brand knowledge on the inside has immediate and very tangible results. First, a personal experience from a recent summer trip that included a hotel scheduling snafu.  For some reason, the Marriott hotel I thought  I was booked into, was actually sold out and did not have my name on the list.  Even with my usual "song and dance," the receptionist could not accommodate.  But, instead of sending me and my travel companion on our way to a competitor for four nights, she provided us a list of other Marriott branded properties in the area and called a special hotline for availability. S...

This month, Springboard celebrated its 10-year anniversary.  The number of well wishes and thoughtful remarks were much appreciated and gave us "cause for pause" and the opportunity to reflect on the last decade. Obviously, much has changed in the healthcare and marketing industries; from the invent of social media to the real inroads of healthcare reform. Amidst all the changes, there is a consistent thread that has remained woven in the fabric of consumer buying, and has for decades. Yes, the concept of branding is alive and well and remains at the "heart beat" of reaching and motivating customers to choose one product or service over another. That's it - heart beat!  After spending so many years describing the concept of branding and all the text-book definitions, it comes down to these two key words.  And when contrasted with the words "chest beat," used to describe branding's first cousin, selling, it really ticks! A brand strategy makes...

Have you noticed it in your marketplace? Hospitals and health systems are undergoing a vast resurgence in new naming strategies. Here in the Chicago area, for example, we've seen Central DuPage Hospital and Delnor Health System come together as "Cadence Health." Provena Health and Resurrection Health Care have selected "Presence Health" as their new combined name. From corporate HQ in San Francisco, Catholic Healthcare West has become Dignity Health in their 40-plus markets in the U.S. The Ohio State University Hospital changed its name to Wexner Medical Center at Ohio State University. And, just recently St. Luke's Hospital in Allentown, PA announced it will now be known as St. Luke's University Health Network. These are only a handful of the many name changes happening in markets across the country. Why this surge? The reasons vary; from an onslaught of recent mergers to faith-based practices, from competitive positioning to donor recogni...