Hospital and health system chief marketing officers must create effective messaging to let patients know they're in the right hands, a goal that requires not only creativity and drive, but also a good deal of collaboration.
Here, four hospital chief marketing officers share their thoughts on who they rely on most in the C-suite.
Tanya Andreadis, chief marketing and digital communications officer at UCLA Health (Los Angeles): For me, marketing is most successful when there are strong relationships and champions from different parts of the organization. On the healthcare delivery side, I rely most heavily on the CEO, but I also rely on the president of our faculty practice group, CIO and CFO to move major strategic initiatives forward. For my role on the academic side, I rely on our vice chancellor of health sciences and our dean.
Karen Wish, chief marketing officer at Mount Sinai Health System (New York City): The chief marketing officer relies on the collaboration in the C-suite. Marketing supports the organization through brand-building and through alignment with strategic organizational initiatives. To do this, the CMO needs coordination and collaboration and is therefore inextricably linked to the many areas in the C-suite, such as strategy, finance, operations, legal, human resource and the executive team.
Valerie Simon, chief marketing and communications officer at Atlantic Health System (Morristown, N.J.): Cross functional collaboration is critical in driving digital transformation, growth and reputation, and CMOs need to team up with the entire C-suite. At Atlantic Health System, branding is not simply a marketing-specific initiative, but a reflection of the organizational responsibility and commitment to building external trust. Each C-suite leader embraces their responsibility to our brand, guided by a clear strategic plan and the shared commitment to team members, patients and the future.
Sandra Mackey, chief marketing officer at Bon Secours Mercy Health (Cincinnati): Working collaboratively across the Bon Secours Mercy Health ministry with leaders in each discipline and across markets is critically important as we strive to fulfill our mission. There are key individuals I collaborate with constantly. Our marketing initiatives are directly tied to the strategies and KPIs developed annually by our leadership team; therefore, it is imperative that our team is closely connected with the chief strategy officer.
Likewise, our focus on engaging consumers and demonstrating our ability to deliver quality care across our footprint makes my partnership with the chief operating officer and chief clinical officer essential. The COO and CCO operate in a dyad relationship, ensuring the patient is at the center of every decision we make as a ministry, and this is reflected in our marketing work.