Hospital Branding

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. ...

At a recent breakfast featuring several CEO’s of Chicago hospitals, the panel was asked this question: “what keeps you up at night?”   Their answers really woke up the audience of nearly 500 and provided a chilling reminder about how the world and our priorities have changed. One panelist explained that his answer would have been very different years ago.   It would have focused on the hospital’s census, average length of stay, and quality ratings. Today what keeps these hospital CEO’s awake is concern over patient safety. At first glance, you might suspect that their comments have to do with Medicare’s Hospital-Acquired Condition (HAC) Reduction program.   Or, reports from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality that cite one in eight hospital admissions result in a patient injury of some kind.   After all, the HAC program alone costs hospitals nearly $400 Million in Medicare payments. This kind of  “patient safety” is not what these admin...

It has happened twice in the last month to restaurants near me.  Both closed suddenly, after their owners made huge investments of time and money in their dreams and visions.  While this happens across the country to businesses everyday, there are similarities between these restaurants that more than hit close to home;  they emphasize the importance of brand positioning and how it can either open new doors to customers, or close them. Restaurant A was in a very popular and trendy northern suburb of Chicago. The owner was a first time restauranteur who bought the property and totally gutted it.  New floors, tables, music stage, lighting - you name it. He wanted it to be known, or positioned, as a great restaurant with a lively bar and awesome music scene.  Aside from the fact the food quality didn't start out of the gate that great, people didn't like that their meal was served with loud music and congestion from the crowded bar area.  Was it a bar wi...

"Facing" is a great term used in marketing circles for decades.  Originally, it referred to the level and amount of shelf space a brand received in retail and centered around the "P" word, "place," from the   4 P's of Marketing . Today, it's used more than ever as it relates to the promotional strategy and audience mix a brand is pursuing.  In marketing meetings everywhere, statements or questions arise about a brand's facing such as "what's your consumer facing?" or "our brand also has a business-to-business facing," or "our online facing..."  Still a great term, but the context has shifted dramatically. The more it comes up in conversations, the more we need reminding that a brand should only have one face.  Sometimes the way it faces  toward different audiences, will change, however, the profile of the brand should be consistent.  Different messaging should be used to motivate different audience...

Only 10 years ago, MySpace was the king of the social network hill, and Facebook was still primarily for students. Back then brands were still trying to reach their target audiences in the traditional ways, and we had no concept of forging the dialogs and close connections with our target audiences that we can develop today. Responding in real-time to those audiences was just a pipe dream. Fast forward to 2015 – having a social media presence is no longer a “nice to have,” but is now a definite “must have.” And in order to make the most of our presence on social networks, build a strong brand and effectively manage our social media accounts, we’ll need to do more than just create great content, we have to do some social listening and have a dialog as well. Top 5 reasons to monitor brands on social media 1.     Powerful marketing analytics Social media listening helps uncover a myriad of powerful statistics. By tracking social media metrics, brands can deter...

The phrase "win-win" has been engrained in our vocabulary, to the point where business books call it one of the most overused statements of the last decade.  Obviously, the meaning implies there is a mutual benefit to two parties who take part in a common activity or situation.  The opposite side of that equation is the "lose-lose," reflecting an individual or organization that chooses not to engage in a strategy that has limited risk and high potential return. Such is the case with digital marketing.  Believe it or not, there are still many healthcare organizations that are merely skimming the surface and not committing more of their budgets to paid digital media.  They are engaged in social, SEO, and other forms of owned media, but not shifting their budgets in favor of digital spend versus traditional media.  To borrow another phrase in the business vernacular, digital media is a "no brainer."  Think about the benefits: You can precisely target by...

In this branding blog, we have written about the "sweet spot."  The book, "Aaker on Branding," defines it as the intersection between consumer passions and brand benefits.  While there are several variations of this description,  the basic premise of the "sweet spot" relies on a deep understanding of your consumers beyond demographics, household composition, and top-line preferences.  It requires real insights on their dreams, visions, and interests. At a recent advertising conference I heard this:  "Branding moves at the speed of culture."  It was a "wow moment."  The example was based on a popular brand of headphones and ear buds that have done an incredible job of tying their products to what's currently trending.  As a result, the brand is always at the forefront of culture and endorsed by many top athletes and celebrities.  I should add, too, that the creative work is pretty brilliant. The intersection of your brand promi...