Hospital Branding

Many years ago, when I was on the client side of B2B marketing fence, our messaging beat its chest about how our product was bigger, better, faster, stronger and could make our customers more money. Years later, after time on the agency side of both B2B and B2C marketing, we’re seeing a massive shift in how B2B buyers at various levels need to be engaged. Sure, there’s a procurement officer that’s all about specs and cost, but we’re assuming you’d like to move up the chain a bit. Consider this B2B value pyramid from a Bain & Company study earlier this year. This illustrates from the bottom of the pyramid to the tip top: The bottom of the pyramid – where many B2B marketers stop. This is where no one wants to be – it’s commodity-land. Living on specs and price will not keep you in business. Neither will simply addressing your buyer’s economic or performance needs with features and functions. As someone recently told us, don’t talk to me about the horsepower and t...

I had the pleasure to present at the SHSMD Connections conference in Seattle a few weeks ago.  My co-presenter, and fellow disruptor, Paul Szablowski and I were thrilled to see a full house for our session, as healthcare marketers were eager to learn business lessons from the hit reality television show “ Shark Tank .”  And, at a time when marketers are under constant scrutiny from their CEO’s to demonstrate value and Return on Marketing Investment (ROMI), walking into a shark tank each time budgeting and annual planning rolls around is all too much a reality. Here’s a recap of our presentation, “ Lessons from the Shark Tank .”  If it leaves you swimming with questions or additional thoughts, I look forward to hearing from you. The Waters are Murky for Marketers Marketers in all industries are facing intense pressure to perform for their organization.  Many studies suggest that there is definitely a realignment needed between the C-Suite and marketin...

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...

If you aren’t already using testimonials in your healthcare marketing plans, I hope that this inspires you to do so. Testimonials are a powerful tool that can persuade potential customers to buy or use your services. In fact, testimonials could be one of the most powerful marketing tools you have! People feel more confident engaging in a relationship when they know there are other satisfied customers. Through testimonials, you can give potential patients a reason to believe and a trusted opinion from a third party. Testimonials are effective because they: Build trust . Your customers share the positive experiences they’ve had with your organization’s services. Provide feedback . Asking for testimonials is a great psychological spur to encourage companies to continually strive for their best performances—and allows quick corrections if they begin to drift off course. Aren’t “salesy.”  Because they aren’t written in your corporate voice, they stand out as unbiased and auth...

On a recent flight to a holiday destination, I was fortunate to be on a newer plane with many of the latest enhancements to passenger comfort and entertainment.  For example, I had my own personal communications screen that provided my choice of movies, network shows, new streaming programs (Netflix) and a host of other possible viewing selections.  While having a screen in the headset was nothing new, having that many personal choices was something that I hadn't seen before.  And if that wasn't enough, I could get wi-fi and choose from my personal inventory of entertainment and data options. As I stretched my legs and walked through the cabin, I noticed how many different channels were being watched.  In fact, I didn't see any two people on the same program.  This made me think of how times and the way we communicate with people have changed and how personal it has become. Staying on board the airplane theme, recall how airlines used to entertain us. ...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

You know the symptoms:  your ears hurt when your hospital's branding team talks about digital marketing, your throat is sore when speaking to your media planner about re-marketing, your body aches when you click on your web page and see little continuity between it and your off-line communications.  All classic signs of Digitalitis - that nagging, uncomfortable, and sickly feeling that you're not fully embracing the role of digital marketing and it's causing bloating to your marketing budget and efforts. After recently attending a couple national hospital marketing conferences, I have learned that Digitalitis is more prevalent than expected.  Roundtable meetings and several discussions with leading brand thinkers in the hospital space reinforced that this condition is occurring even in the most sophisticated of healthcare organizations. Why the outbreak? Senior marketing professionals have grown up in an era of traditional, off-line media.  Where bra...

From Paul Szablowski and Rob Rosenberg's recent presentation at Forum for Healthcare Strategists. Hospital Branding:  7 Deadly Words of Healthcare Marketing Jacqueline Fellows, for HealthLeaders Media  , May 29, 2013 Being descriptive in healthcare marketing can be a challenge when you stop using these seven words that no longer have the power to distinguish your organization or its services from those of your competitors. In the early 1970s, stand-up comedian George Carlin delivered what would become the bit he was best known for, "The Seven Words You Can't Say on Television." Google it and you'll be treated to a filthy and hilarious not-safe-for-work rant. Hoping that a portion of that phrase  stands the test of time , Paul Szablowski, vice president of public relations, marketing, and communications for Dignity Health, and Rob Rosenberg, president and brand strategy director for Springboard Brand & Creative Strategy, have developed their own l...

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...