Brand Positioning

Creating Breakthrough Brands From the Inside Out

Holly Sullivan headshot

Static brands result in static organizations. Dynamic, forward-leaning brands break through the noise and unleash the real potential that can change not only your organization but the industry as a whole. // By Susan Dubuque // When two major hospital systems merged to form the largest health system in Michigan, the marketing team had a Read More

Creating the Blueprint: 5 Ways to Develop National Health Care Brand Recognition

Karen Brodbeck, vice president of Brand Management, OSF HealthCare

An effective public relations effort can give organizations a megaphone to amplify health care brand recognition. As a faith-based, mission-oriented organization, OSF HealthCare (OSF), founded in the late 1800s, has historically met internal and external challenges through innovation. In the past decade OSF, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois and serving patients in Illinois and Michigan, has Read More

How OSF Healthcare Makes Its Presence Known Nationally

Cheryl L. Serra

An effective public relations effort can give organizations a megaphone to amplify brand recognition. // By Cheryl L. Serra // As a faith-based, mission-oriented organization, OSF HealthCare (OSF), founded in the late 1800s, has historically met internal and external challenges through innovation. In the past decade OSF, headquartered in Peoria, Illinois and serving patients in Read More

How to Stand Out in a Crowded Market? Lessons From Emory Healthcare’s Rebranding Success

Amy Comeau, vice president of marketing, Emory Healthcare

Emory Healthcare’s rebranding initiatives enable the health system to stand out in Atlanta’s crowded market. Emory’s success should serve as an example for other hospitals and health systems looking to develop a successful rebranding strategy and drive growth. There are hospitals and health systems with reputations verging on veneration. But for all the world-renowned research Read More

Health Care Brand Positioning: Going From Good to Great

Chrisie Scott, senior vice president and chief marketing officer, Virtua Health

Health care brand positioning requires more than a clever tagline or slogan. It requires a strategy and rallying cry that inspires an organization and connects a community. It’s rare in marketing that you get to start from scratch on anything. Wherever you jump on the moving train, that’s your starting point, complete with legacy systems Read More

Virtua Health Has a Message for South Jersey: We Are “Here for Good”

Jane Weber Brubaker

Brand positioning is more than a clever tagline or slogan. It’s a strategy and rallying cry that inspires an organization and connects a community. // By Jane Weber Brubaker // It’s rare in marketing that you get to start from scratch on anything. Wherever you jump on the moving train, that’s your starting point, complete Read More

Why Health Systems Must Manage and Accelerate Growth Going Forward

“Growth is important for every organization,” says Daniel Fell of Optum. “Whether it’s for-profits or not-for-profits, start-ups or established market leaders, every business depends on some level of growth to succeed in the near term. Growth is also essential to long-term sustainability, especially when navigating dynamic markets and overcoming unforeseen market disruptions.” Here’s an excerpt Read More

The Growth Imperative and Why Marketing Must Lead

Daniel Fell, marketing consultant and senior strategist at Optum

// By Daniel Fell // Growth is far from one-dimensional and shouldn’t be thought of in terms of new patients and new revenue only. Growth is important for every organization. Whether it’s for-profits or not-for-profits, start-ups or established market leaders, every business depends on some level of growth to succeed in the near term. Growth Read More

Johns Hopkins Medicine Leveraged Positive Momentum to Drive Repositioning

During the past two years of a pandemic that continues to rage, health care brands have absorbed the additional burden of managing their reputations in the throes of unprecedented consumer demand for needed services to counter COVID-19 within their communities. Hospitals and health systems across the U.S., including Johns Hopkins Medicine, have overwhelmingly answered the Read More

Johns Hopkins Medicine — Positioning Brand Beyond the Product

Suzanne Sawyer, SVP, chief marketing and communications officer, Johns Hopkins Medicine

// By John Marzano // In the middle of a pandemic, with the world tuning in daily to view the latest alarming statistics on infections, hospitalizations, and deaths, Johns Hopkins Medicine launched a new brand campaign centered on hope, connection, and progress. During the past two years of a pandemic that continues to rage throughout Read More

Don’t Abandon Traditional Media Marketing Just Yet

While many health care marketers seek to limit their media outlets, the reality is that successful marketing plans need to incorporate a blend of many efforts to produce a desired reach, frequency, and outcome. Here’s an excerpt from John Gonda’s new article on this topic: For many years, hospitals have used traditional media outlets such Read More

Traditional and Digital Media: Why You Need Both

// By John Gonda // While many health care marketers seek to limit their media outlets, the reality is that successful marketing plans need to incorporate a blend of many efforts to produce a desired reach, frequency, and outcome. For many years, hospitals have used traditional media outlets such as newspapers, direct mail, radio, and Read More

Think Like a Hacker To Outsmart Your Competition

Walker-Jessica-Care-Sherpa

“Faced with competitors who may have bigger marketing budgets and more resources, many health care marketers feel powerless in the battle for market growth,” says Jessica Walker, founder and CEO of Care Sherpa. “Thinking like a hacker may help you outsmart the competition. Five proven hacks for market share growth require little to no money Read More

5 Proven Hacks for Growing Profitable Market Share

Walker-Jessica-Care-Sherpa

How to think like a hacker to outsmart your competition // By Jessica Walker // Faced with competitors who may have bigger marketing budgets and more resources, many health care marketers feel powerless in the battle for market growth. Thinking like a hacker may help you outsmart the competition. Five proven hacks for market share Read More

Turning Hospital Employees Into Ambassadors for Your Health Care Brand

Newton-Wellesley Hospital - Finding a Better Way Campaign

The latest marketing efforts at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts have a very important goal: to engage employees to do whatever it takes to provide the very best experience for patients. While most health systems recognize the importance of internal engagement, Newton-Wellesley’s approach — which includes seeing the employees as “brand ambassadors” to extend the system’s Read More

Health Care Branding: How One Suburban Medical Center Developed Its Brand Promise from the Inside Out

// By Lisa D. Ellis // The latest marketing efforts at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Massachusetts have a very important goal: to engage employees to do whatever it takes to provide the very best experience for patients. Tackling a Challenging Market While most health systems recognize the importance of internal engagement, Newton-Wellesley’s approach — which includes Read More

Five Topics for Health Care Marketers to Manage in 2018

Linda MacCracken, senior principal at Accenture

// By Linda MacCracken // One of the great pleasures of this journal is tracking the innovative marketing approaches that are key to building consumer engagement. After numerous conversations with providers and technology innovators, and from reviewing trending analytic indicators, I have identified five key factors in building strong customer engagement. How do these topics Read More

A New Global Health Care Marketing Framework

Skills and Attributes of the Healthcare Strategist

At the annual meeting of the Society for Healthcare Strategy & Market Development (SHSMD) in September 2017, a group of health care strategists from the Middle East came all the way to Orlando, Florida to attend the presentations. When they introduced themselves to SHSMD representatives, they revealed that they had made the trip to attend Read More