In late February, Winston-Salem, N.C.-based Novant Health announced a strategic branding campaign, which includes new names and logos for 13 acute-care facilities, more than 100 outpatient facilities and more than 350 physician practice facilities across four states. The system will kick off the campaign in April and transition all facilities to the new Novant Health identity throughout 2013.
Here, Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health, explains why a branding strategy is important to meeting the system's goals of delivering remarkable healthcare.
Question: What are your goals for Novant Health's branding strategy?
Carl Armato: Novant Health consists of 13 hospitals, more than 100 outpatient facilities, more than 350 physician practices and more than 24,000 employees across four states. Currently, our system has more than 400 different brand names. Uniting as one system brand will make us more recognizable among our competitors and make it easier for patients to realize both the extent of our system as well as our points of differentiation. As a unified system under one name, we will gain efficiencies in resources, processes, decision-making, marketing and scaling. We will reduce redundancies across the system, as well as share strength to collaboratively reach best practices faster.
Above all else, by creating a cohesive and consistent system brand that connects all Novant facilities, we are able to better serve our patients. Across the system, patients will find the same remarkable healthcare experience that is simpler, easy to access and more affordable so everyone can focus on getting better and staying healthy.
Through our brand strategy, we are making a promise to our patients and consumers: "We are making your healthcare experience remarkable. We will bring you world-class technology, clinicians and care — when and where you need it. We are reinventing the healthcare experience to be simpler, more convenient and more affordable, so that you can focus on getting better and staying healthy."
Q: How does Novant Health's new brand tie into the health system's overall strategy, mission and vision?
CA: The new Novant Health brand builds on the system's mission, vision and values. Those are not changing. By creating a cohesive and consistent system brand that connects all of our facilities, Novant Health is able to better serve patients in our communities. Across our system, patients will find the same remarkable healthcare experience that is simpler, more convenient and more affordable so everyone can focus on getting better and staying healthy. Our system's unique promise to customers to make their healthcare experience remarkable by bringing together world-class technology, clinicians, employees and care when and where patients need it will only get stronger through the new brand.
Q: Why is it important to engage employees in the branding change?
CA: Our employees represent the brand, and our interactions with patients and families define their experience with our system. Each and every employee at Novant Health has a stake in making our brand and business successful. Together, we have the ability to improve the health of our communities and to shape the future of healthcare. Together, we can make healthcare remarkable.
Q: What employee engagement strategies have you used to gain support for the new brand?
CA: A few days after the leaders were told about the brand change and received training, I conducted a live Webcast to announce the changes to all employees. Employees were able to submit questions online or in person.
On April 17, 2013, launch parties are planned for every Novant Health facility where employees will celebrate our achievement and our future, unite[d] as one Novant Health while they experience our brand promise through a variety of physical changes at our facilities. Additionally, leaders will round that day to answer questions and engage employees in our brand kick-off.
Our patients, employees and our communities will immediately see new visual identities for their local Novant Health facility. New logos, new names and new color palettes will signify that there is a change.
As we continue on our journey to unify our system as one Novant Health, our communities will see our efforts to transform healthcare through their interactions with our providers and our facilities. World-class technology, expanded access as well as patient-centered care will translate to a remarkable patient experience.
Q: Why is it important to train leaders on the strategic plan?
CA: Our leaders serve a crucial role in ensuring our new brand strategy is successfully implemented across the system. They will act as brand champions and brand educators throughout the internal and external launch of the new Novant Health brand. As leaders, they are expected to educate their employees on our brand promise in order for them to clearly deliver key messages to patients and community members. We rely on our leaders to positively communicate the business benefits of this new strategy to other colleagues, excite and engage employees around the promise, encourage a feeling of unity and teamwork and exemplify the brand attributes daily.
Q: How have you trained leaders on the strategic plan?
CA: On February 21, hospital leaders shared an exciting day with Novant Health executives in announcing the launch of our system-wide Novant Health brand. Over 1,000 leaders participated in a day-long brand training session where they were educated on the new branding strategy, the new logo was revealed and their role as brand ambassadors was explained. This was a first-ever meeting that brought so many leaders from around the system together.
Since this time, leaders have received a weekly communication containing updates, specific instructions around changes, important dates and any action items.
Additionally, a Manager's Toolkit was provided that includes a schedule of topics to discuss with their team and facilitation guides to help lead those discussions as we head into the change; a comprehensive Q&A document gave the leaders a consistent way to answer employees' questions; and feedback channels were created and used to address ongoing questions.
Most importantly, the training will include brand ambassadors throughout the rollout as well as continuous education on ways the strategy impacts our roles within the organization.
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Here, Carl Armato, president and CEO of Novant Health, explains why a branding strategy is important to meeting the system's goals of delivering remarkable healthcare.Question: What are your goals for Novant Health's branding strategy?
Carl Armato: Novant Health consists of 13 hospitals, more than 100 outpatient facilities, more than 350 physician practices and more than 24,000 employees across four states. Currently, our system has more than 400 different brand names. Uniting as one system brand will make us more recognizable among our competitors and make it easier for patients to realize both the extent of our system as well as our points of differentiation. As a unified system under one name, we will gain efficiencies in resources, processes, decision-making, marketing and scaling. We will reduce redundancies across the system, as well as share strength to collaboratively reach best practices faster.
Above all else, by creating a cohesive and consistent system brand that connects all Novant facilities, we are able to better serve our patients. Across the system, patients will find the same remarkable healthcare experience that is simpler, easy to access and more affordable so everyone can focus on getting better and staying healthy.
Through our brand strategy, we are making a promise to our patients and consumers: "We are making your healthcare experience remarkable. We will bring you world-class technology, clinicians and care — when and where you need it. We are reinventing the healthcare experience to be simpler, more convenient and more affordable, so that you can focus on getting better and staying healthy."
Q: How does Novant Health's new brand tie into the health system's overall strategy, mission and vision?
CA: The new Novant Health brand builds on the system's mission, vision and values. Those are not changing. By creating a cohesive and consistent system brand that connects all of our facilities, Novant Health is able to better serve patients in our communities. Across our system, patients will find the same remarkable healthcare experience that is simpler, more convenient and more affordable so everyone can focus on getting better and staying healthy. Our system's unique promise to customers to make their healthcare experience remarkable by bringing together world-class technology, clinicians, employees and care when and where patients need it will only get stronger through the new brand.
Q: Why is it important to engage employees in the branding change?
CA: Our employees represent the brand, and our interactions with patients and families define their experience with our system. Each and every employee at Novant Health has a stake in making our brand and business successful. Together, we have the ability to improve the health of our communities and to shape the future of healthcare. Together, we can make healthcare remarkable.
Q: What employee engagement strategies have you used to gain support for the new brand?
CA: A few days after the leaders were told about the brand change and received training, I conducted a live Webcast to announce the changes to all employees. Employees were able to submit questions online or in person.
On April 17, 2013, launch parties are planned for every Novant Health facility where employees will celebrate our achievement and our future, unite[d] as one Novant Health while they experience our brand promise through a variety of physical changes at our facilities. Additionally, leaders will round that day to answer questions and engage employees in our brand kick-off.
Our patients, employees and our communities will immediately see new visual identities for their local Novant Health facility. New logos, new names and new color palettes will signify that there is a change.
As we continue on our journey to unify our system as one Novant Health, our communities will see our efforts to transform healthcare through their interactions with our providers and our facilities. World-class technology, expanded access as well as patient-centered care will translate to a remarkable patient experience.
Q: Why is it important to train leaders on the strategic plan?
CA: Our leaders serve a crucial role in ensuring our new brand strategy is successfully implemented across the system. They will act as brand champions and brand educators throughout the internal and external launch of the new Novant Health brand. As leaders, they are expected to educate their employees on our brand promise in order for them to clearly deliver key messages to patients and community members. We rely on our leaders to positively communicate the business benefits of this new strategy to other colleagues, excite and engage employees around the promise, encourage a feeling of unity and teamwork and exemplify the brand attributes daily.
Q: How have you trained leaders on the strategic plan?
CA: On February 21, hospital leaders shared an exciting day with Novant Health executives in announcing the launch of our system-wide Novant Health brand. Over 1,000 leaders participated in a day-long brand training session where they were educated on the new branding strategy, the new logo was revealed and their role as brand ambassadors was explained. This was a first-ever meeting that brought so many leaders from around the system together.
Since this time, leaders have received a weekly communication containing updates, specific instructions around changes, important dates and any action items.
Additionally, a Manager's Toolkit was provided that includes a schedule of topics to discuss with their team and facilitation guides to help lead those discussions as we head into the change; a comprehensive Q&A document gave the leaders a consistent way to answer employees' questions; and feedback channels were created and used to address ongoing questions.
Most importantly, the training will include brand ambassadors throughout the rollout as well as continuous education on ways the strategy impacts our roles within the organization.
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