Hackensack Meridian Health Orchestrates a New Brand

// By Wendy Stark Healy //

One of the themes of this article is that brands evolve. We covered the Hackensack Meridian merger back in December 2016. The consolidated health system’s first-generation brand has now been replaced with a new brand, built on consumer research and a solid brand strategy.

Hackensack Meridian Health’s new logo plays off the theme of orchestration.

Two-and-a-half years after two large New Jersey health care networks merged, the new Hackensack Meridian Health says its rebranding and logo development went very well.

“Well-orchestrated” is how Jim Blazar, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, puts it. In fact, the concept of orchestration sets the tone for the new logo, which visually resembles the view one would see when looking down on an orchestra pit, he adds.

Jim Blazar, executive vice president and chief strategy officer, Hackensack Meridian Health

Blazar spoke at the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development (SHSMD) conference in Seattle in October, in a session called, “Bigger, Better or Both. Building a Brand-in-Demand Through Mergers and Strategic Partnerships.”

Blazar spoke along with Patti Winegar, managing partner of SPM Marketing & Communications, Hackensack Meridian Health’s agency for branding. Their session helped participants understand that when two organizations of equal size merge, the challenge is more than becoming just a bigger, hyphenated version of itself. How would this newly consolidated brand convey the benefit of the merger and deliver a new level of care?

Branding Is Continual

Blazar discussed lessons learned and described the evolution of Hackensack Meridian Health’s branding and logo. “Branding is never ending,” he says. “It’s continual. You’re always adding to it; all your competitors are doing the same thing.”

Calling it one of the most successful mergers in New Jersey, Blazar attributed the good results to a well-coordinated branding strategy and solid consumer research. The logo’s tagline, “Life Years Ahead,” he says, is resonating with patients and consumers.

Research-Based and Consumer-Driven Approach

Until the end of last year, Hackensack Meridian Health had two CEOs, one from Hackensack and one from Meridian. After the merger, they met over coffee and told Blazar that they had figured out the branding and designed the logo. Blazar smiled and said he wanted an approach based on market research. He hired HA Roth Consulting, which had previously worked with Blazar at Cleveland Clinic and Hartford HealthCare.

“Anyone who has launched a brand knows that the CEO will pull you aside and say, ‘This’ll be very expensive,’” Blazar says, but he persisted and challenged the CEOs to partner with a company that would conduct market research: “We wanted to develop a brand strategy that was differentiating and expressed an experience built around the patient and consumer.”

“We needed to develop partnerships and gain consumer insights. You have to figure out how to take it to the next step. Everywhere along the way, we used consumer insights and developed a strategic brand strategy,” he says. The system also used market segmentation in its messaging.

Interviews with Hackensack Meridian Health leaders and consumer research indicated that patients wanted well-coordinated care and less fragmentation. People said health care was hard to understand and difficult to navigate. As a result, the phrase “a well-orchestrated approach to health care” was used multiple times. This became the rationale behind selecting a logo from three final designs, according to Blazar.

“The words that kept coming up were, ‘We’d like it to be well-orchestrated,’” he says, adding that people wanted their care to be seamless, easy, non-fragmented, and convenient. They didn’t want to travel to large medical centers in New York City or Philadelphia.

Once Hackensack Meridian Health knew that part of its strategy was to focus on people and customized care, the branding started falling into place. Since “well-orchestrated” was a phrase that wasn’t logo-friendly, Blazar engaged Winegar and SPM to develop the tagline “Life Years Ahead,” he says.

Internal Communication and Integration Were Key

To meet the marketing challenges of merging two organizations with different cultures, the system started an integration steering committee and created a word cloud to help develop strategy for the overall network. Emerging phrases were “care transformation,” “physician enterprise,” “network integration,” “technology and innovation,” “medical school,” and “growth of the care continuum.” The group also considered how mission and values were shaping the brand.

With 16 hospitals; 6,500 physicians; and 33,000 team members, internal communication was also extremely important, says Blazar. The announcement was made to Hackensack Meridian Health’s team members at more than 25 meetings across the state, including a leadership meeting at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center that detailed plans for the year. This venue was especially significant, says Blazar, because it’s often the site of concerts, further underscoring the “well-orchestrated” theme.

“We didn’t just say, ‘Here’s our new logo,’” says Blazar. The event included the system’s leaders discussing how “everything fits together for our consumers, including culture, strategy, quality, innovation, patient experience, and team member engagement.”

Patti Winegar, managing partner, SPM Marketing & Communications

Winegar supported Hackensack Meridian Health in how it embraced team members. “Marketing is one thing,” she says. “It can get you to the door, but it’s your team that makes a difference and is part of the brand.”

The organization also established a new headquarters, centrally located between the Hackensack system in the northern part of the state and Meridian’s southern location. A new internet domain — hackensackmeridianhealth.org — was created. The health network ended 2018 with one co-CEO retiring, leaving it with just one CEO.

Rollout of the New Brand

The new brand was announced in April 2017. The kickoff also included an internal brand video featuring team members. “I think videos are a great way to express what you do. It’s one thing for me to stand up and discuss the strategy, but I think videos are wonderful,” says Blazar. The video got a standing ovation when it was unveiled to our team members, according to Blazar.

The video and subsequent ads play on the catchphrase “the rhythm of life.” Blazar says, “The messages center on what brings us all together, what sets Hackensack Meridian Health apart, and that the best health care is about more than medicine … it’s about people.” The ads go on to say that Hackensack Meridian Health understands “how precious life is … and how that can change in the blink of an eye.”

“Everything we do matters, every act of kindness.”

“Together, we have the power to change health care, change the future and orchestrate excellence … life years ahead.”

In Retrospect

What could Hackensack Meridian Health do better? Blazar points to changing signage quicker. He also points to addressing cultural issues sooner. Legacy Hackensack and legacy Meridian no longer matter. “We’re one organization now.” He notes the network educated team members about cultural differences, but it should’ve started that process sooner. The quicker systems meld cultures, the better, he says. Winegar also recommends communicating with partners and audiences early.

In spite of some challenges, Blazar says the brand recognition and loyalty for Hackensack Meridian Health is strong and continues to build. “The number of phone calls I get from people who want to join our network is off the charts. Recognition of the brand is off the chart,” he says.

Wendy Stark Healy is a Connecticut-based health care writer and editor, and author of Life Is Too Short: Stories of Transformation and Renewal After 9/11.