Brand Management

Subtopics: Brand Architecture, Brand Standards, Identity, Logos, Naming Conventions, Rebranding Campaigns, etc.

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A Children’s Hospital in Boston Pulls Out All the Emotional Stops. Result: Striking Increases in Web Traffic, Enhanced Staff Enthusiasm, and a Powerful Brand Image

September 6, 2016

Notable Health Care Advertising // By Peter Hochstein // In most other markets, the Floating Hospital for Children at Tufts Medical Center would be in the catbird seat. The 94-bed hospital is part of a larger teaching hospital. It’s connected to a prestigious medical school. And it has won its fair share of awards and Read More

A Money-Back Guarantee In Health Care? Yes.

September 1, 2016

When new CEO David Feinberg, M.D., arrived at Geisinger Health System in May 2015, he saw a large system with a great reputation for medical innovation and outcomes. “But its reputation among its patients based on their hospital experiences? Not so great,” says copywriter and regular SHCM contributor Peter Hochstein. Hochstein notes that the hospital regularly surveys employees, patients, Read More

How One Health Care Organization Uses Predictive Analytics to Avoid Growing Pains

August 31, 2016

// By Lisa Ellis // Placing your service lines, retail clinics, and outpatient facilities in optimal locations may mean the difference between success and failure in today’s competitive marketplace. These days, it’s no longer enough to make decisions about where to locate new offerings based on available sites or what an organization “thinks” might work. Read More

How to Dispel Stereotypes in Health Care Marketing

August 30, 2016

In the wake of the Orlando tragedy, it’s more important than ever for health care organizations to keep their messages all-inclusive. Here’s how. // By Sara Tack // Hospitals and health systems are responsible for taking care of anyone and everyone regardless of race, religion, gender orientation, or age. That’s the nature of health care: Read More

How To Keep Your Messaging Inclusive and Non-Discriminatory

August 30, 2016

“Health care advertising often falls short of representing the various populations that hospitals and health systems serve,” says Sara Tack. “We are inclusive to a point, covering our diversity bases by featuring ads with Caucasians, African Americans, Hispanics, and Asians. Sometimes, these images come across as pandering or obvious tokenism to the point where the Read More

Retail Health Care: Meet Your Customers Where They Are—Literally

August 25, 2016

It used to be that if you built a good health system, people would come. But in today’s hectic world, many organizations find it necessary to extend their services to places their patients frequent instead. In fact, these days, organizations providing the highest-quality care are a given, but how that care is delivered—and where—have become the Read More

Growing Health Care System Solves a Branding Challenge By Keeping It Local

August 18, 2016

“Health care is changing—and so are health care brand campaigns,” says Daniel P. Stevens. “Building a strong health care brand in an environment that is undergoing drastic change is challenging: the switch from fee for service to value-based care; the emergence of accountable care organizations; the consolidation of hospitals—the list goes on. Sure, these shifts Read More

Personas Bring Abstract Health Care Consumers To Life

August 11, 2016

“A recent Accenture report found a significant correlation between superior patient experiences and higher margins for hospitals of every type and size. In an increasingly choice-driven health care industry, it’s no wonder that ‘patient-centricity’ is a buzzing topic for a variety of stakeholders—from regulators and payers to provider organizations,” says Matt Hummel, founder and President Read More

Embracing Collective Differences to Build One Cohesive Health Care Brand

August 9, 2016

// By Daniel P. Stevens, DMD, PhD, MBA // Health care is changing—and so are health care brand campaigns. Building a strong health care brand in an environment that is undergoing drastic change is challenging: the switch from fee for service to value-based care; the emergence of accountable care organizations; the consolidation of hospitals—the list Read More

Advertising—and a Revolutionary Refund Policy—Help to Change the Brand Experience at Geisinger Health System

August 8, 2016

Notable Health Care Advertising  // By Peter Hochstein // How fast can you turn a ship around—a really big ship? Here’s what happened at Geisinger Health System, with 12 hospital campuses; 1,472 licensed beds combined; over 2.6 million outpatient visits annually; two research centers; 30,000 employees; 1,600 employed physicians; plus a 510,000-member health plan. All Read More

How to Find Value in Personas for Health Care Marketing

August 4, 2016

From Research to Personas in 3 Steps // By Matt Hummel // A recent Accenture report found a significant correlation between superior patient experiences and higher margins for hospitals of every type and size. In an increasingly choice-driven health care industry, it’s no wonder that “patient-centricity” is a buzzing topic for a variety of stakeholders—from Read More

Making That Sale: Taking a Retail Approach to Health Care

August 3, 2016

// By Lisa D. Ellis // It used to be that if you built a good health system, people would come. But in today’s hectic world, many organizations find it necessary to extend their services to places their patients frequent instead. In fact, these days, organizations providing the highest-quality care are a given, but how that Read More

Emotional vs. Rational Health Care Advertising—With a Nod to a 1960s Hit Song

July 28, 2016

Peter Hochstein, our crackerjack marketing writer, likes to interview hospital marketing departments and their advertising agencies for his column. “And I often ask them identical questions. I justify this with an analogy concerning two people viewing an elephant from opposite ends,” he notes. “One party tells you the animal’s most notable feature is a skinny tail. Read More

The Power of Hard-to-Ignore Photography Drives Just About Everything in a Successful Traffic-Building Campaign for One Chicago Hospital

July 8, 2016

Notable Health Care Advertising // By Peter Hochstein // What’s the most important part of a print ad? The headline? The story it tells? The news it contains? The offer it makes, if it makes one? A unique selling proposition? A few years back, the Little Company of Mary Hospital, a 298-bed institution on the Read More

Realizing Vision Through Research: How Lawrence General Hospital Used Research to Help Elevate Its Brand

July 7, 2016

// By Jill McDonald Halsey, APR; Dan Dunlop; and Jeff Steblea // “City of the Damned.” That’s the magazine headline that greeted Jill McDonald Halsey when she arrived as the new Chief Marketing & Communication Officer for Lawrence General Hospital in Lawrence, Massachusetts. The city of Lawrence had been dealing with a variety of challenges, Read More

6 Ways To Spin New Life Into Old Marketing Concepts

July 7, 2016

Savvy health care marketers recognize that people tend to trust what they know. Therefore, it’s important to remember that new isn’t always better. The reality is that even amid the shifting priorities of the health care field, staying grounded on your past accomplishments and trying to progress from there may get you further than trying Read More

An Elephant, The Turtles, Emotional vs. Rational Advertising—and a Hospital Marketing Success Story in Georgia

June 8, 2016

Notable Health Care Advertising // By Peter Hochstein // I usually try to interview hospital marketing departments and their advertising agencies for this column. And I often ask them identical questions. I justify this with an analogy concerning two people viewing an elephant from opposite ends. One party tells you the animal’s most notable feature Read More

Does Your Health Care Brand Need a Facelift?

June 3, 2016

6 Ways to Make a Good Thing Even Better // By Lisa D. Ellis // How do you handle the pressures of marketing your health care organization’s products and services in 2016? With the growing emphasis on digital storytelling, social media efforts, inbound marketing, and patient-centered care all competing for your limited attention, you and Read More

The Continued Importance of Print in Health Care Marketing

May 19, 2016

How do you get your news today? If the answer is mainly online, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, with fewer people reading printed newspapers and magazines than in past decades, you may be considering following the trend by ditching your health care organization’s printed material to focus your efforts solely on the digital side Read More

NFL Quarterback Helps Seattle Children’s Score a Touchdown in Pediatric Cancer Battle

May 12, 2016

Seattle Children’s recently scored a touchdown when it launched a new campaign called “Strong Against Cancer” to raise awareness and support for groundbreaking research that holds the potential to cure childhood cancer. Leading the play is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has a personal connection to Seattle Children’s and who has used his platform Read More

Marketing Your Hospital’s Maternity Services as a Luxury Item? Yes.

May 5, 2016

While Jackson Memorial Hospital in Miami, Florida is a well-regarded teaching hospital with a Level 1 trauma center, there was a perception that its facilities were outdated—which was particularly problematic for the facility’s maternity services. “When you’re talking about organ transplants, the quality of the room you’re staying in is not one of the top three concerns,” Read More

Powerful Storytelling Shifts Perceptions for New York Hospital

April 28, 2016

“Every great brand has a story to tell,” says Mark Shipley. And “an emotional, honest brand story can change the perception of a hospital or health care organization, eliciting consumer engagement, employee alignment, and a unique competitive position,” he adds. Shipley is the CEO and Strategy Director of Smith & Jones, a health care marketing agency Read More

How To Build a Health Care Brand Post-Launch: The Next Phase of Promotion

April 21, 2016

“When a new brand takes hold as intended, one tough job is over—but another has already begun,” note Stacy Beers and Claire Hovis. “How soon is too soon to change gears from brand establishment to a new phase of promotion? Will new messages come across as mixed messages and muddy the clear impression you’ve worked Read More

Turn the Page on Your Hospital’s Print Marketing Strategy

April 4, 2016

// By Lisa D. Ellis // How do you get your news today? If the answer is mainly online, you’re certainly not alone. In fact, with fewer people reading printed newspapers and magazines than in past decades, you may be considering following the trend by ditching your health care organization’s printed material to focus your Read More

Seattle Children’s Campaign Scores a Win Against Children’s Cancer

April 1, 2016

// By Lisa D. Ellis // Seattle Children’s recently scored a touchdown when it launched a new campaign called “Strong Against Cancer” to raise awareness and support for groundbreaking research that holds the potential to cure childhood cancer. Leading the play is Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, who has a personal connection to Seattle Children’s Read More