Lessons Learned

May 2009

Mirror, Mirror, On the Wall... A Look Inside Your Brand

Sometimes it can be difficult to take a long, hard look in the mirror. But for most organizations, this is the first step to effective branding. That’s why we typically begin every new client project with a little soul searching – or what we like to call research – in order to ascertain the following:

• What makes you unique as an organization in your field?
• What are your strengths and weaknesses?
• How do your various audiences perceive your work?
• How do those perceptions differ from your own?

We begin by talking with staff and leadership to gather knowledge and prioritize objectives. In addition to directing the brand, campaign or materials development that will be the end result of our work together, this research provides an excellent baseline against which we can later measure the impact of that work. More often than not, it also uncovers discrepancies in the understandings and expectations of internal audiences (staff, board and other stakeholders). Which brings us back to the fundamentals… From the top down, your staff and leadership will act as brand ambassadors who embrace your mission and values and keep your messages and your products aligned.

But even after everyone is on the same page with the organizational mission and values, challenges may exist on an operational level. Various divisions or departments may have different and distinct communications objectives and needs to operate effectively, and the question then becomes: how to protect and promote our internal components while staying true to our overarching fundamentals?

We recently worked with Alliance Healthcare Services on this exact question. Formerly called Alliance Imaging, they approached us looking for a name that more appropriately expressed their wider range of services, including imaging-, surgery- and oncology-specific divisions. However, it was also critical for each division to be able to stand on its own publicly as well. We used three key tools to develop a cohesive brand identity that allowed each division to represent its work fully and appropriately.

1. Unified identity: Through an evolution of their name, logo and look, Alliance HealthCare Services was established to embody the breadth and scope of Alliance and it’s divisions work. Alliance Imaging and Alliance Oncology were then defined as subdivisions of the larger organization. We developed a logo and identity system that maintains the consistent brand personality and yet allows for distinction for each entity.
   
   
   
2. Message matrix: The new brand and identity structure speaks to Alliance’s mission of providing exceptional patient care and delivering seamless, comprehensive and quality-focused healthcare services in partnership with hospitals, medical groups, cancer centers and physicians nationwide. We developed universal positioning statements for the company. Then we created key supporting messages and proof points for each division.
   
   
   
3. Internal buy-in for external communications: We worked with a branding team at Alliance to include leadership and key divisional staff through out the branding process. Then we launched the brand internally before the public launch by presenting employees with the new identity, walking through the branding process, explaining the nuances in division-specific messaging and how each division works within the umbrella brand of Alliance HealthCare Services, and introducing new marketing tools to use in their sales outreach.