Oct. 9, 2009 at 12:16pm

Don’t do it just because everyone says to

10 social media tips

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
No comments

©iStockphoto.com/henrik5000
 

You should blog!

Everyone says our hospital should have a Facebook page.

I’ll never convince the docs to Twitter!

Jul. 20, 2009 at 2:57pm

Fresh eyes and brand blight

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Branding, Community Relations
No comments

“The map on the Web site routes visitors along a rundown block of houses rather than the grand tree-lined street to the campus entrance."

“Signage at the entrance leaves visitors confused about where to turn."

These are the first impressions of the new marketing director for a health care campus. How many prospects were similarly turned off?

Mar. 11, 2009 at 11:25am

The walk-talk disconnect

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Branding, Community Relations
No comments

I passed a McDonald’s filled with hospital employees recently as I walked down the hall of a major medical center. I took note because a few days earlier, a health care employee several states away had mentioned that same in-house McDonald’s as an example of a hospital not walking the talk about employee wellness.

Actions speak louder than words, you might say. The unbreakable lease signed 15 years ago still speaks today.

Mar. 3, 2009 at 3:00pm

What's in a name?

Posted by Shari Campbell in Branding
Comments (1)

Plenty! Not so much. Which is it? Read more

Dec. 5, 2008 at 8:40am

Make them irrelevant

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy, Practice Management
No comments

“Don’t compete with them – make them irrelevant!”

Dec. 3, 2008 at 12:35pm

Are your ads like porn?

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
No comments

Sometimes I think creativity is a little like pornography – you recognize it when you see it. Read more

Oct. 7, 2008 at 1:26pm

Coming soon: A blue ocean in Michigan

Posted by Shari Campbell in Branding
No comments

It’s been a few weeks since I hopped a plane from San Francisco, site of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development’s (SHSMD) annual conference. With dozens of topics and tracks to select from, I always find this annual event to be helpful and thought-provoking.

Last month’s conference was no exception.

Aug. 5, 2008 at 11:23am

Branding begins at home

Posted by Shari Campbell in Branding, Internal Communications, Measurement
No comments

A health care company undergoing profound change asks its employees in an internal newsletter to support yet another reorganization. A nonprofit that helps people find affordable housing is considering expanding its role to include community development.

What do employees think about these changes? Will they embrace them or undermine them?

May. 23, 2008 at 2:18pm

To blog or not to blog?

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
Comments (1)

To blog or not to blog? That issue came up repeatedly at JayRay’s annual ThinkLab in Gig Harbor on May 9.

Several of our friends in health care marketing and public relations questioned the marketing value of blogging. I thought I’d share a few of my favorite blogs – and I’ll be curious to hear if, after checking out any of these blogs, the answer to this blog’s topic is any clearer.

Apr. 2, 2008 at 2:27pm

Effective wayfinding takes fresh perspective

Posted by Kathleen Deakins in Branding, Measurement
No comments

“Thank goodness we got a personal tour. I’m not sure we could have found the hospital room on our own,” one visitor remarked.

This was a comment from a group of health system employees, my travel companions, who took time during a business trip this week to visit a seriously ill colleague hospitalized nearby. I was struck by how our perspectives change when we become the visitors.

Mar. 25, 2008 at 2:28pm

The three Ps of branding

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Branding, Planning and Strategy
No comments

How do we “choose” a brand?

I’m working with several clients to answer this important question. And while our process at JayRay involves a number of strategic and thoughtful steps, our clients seem to most appreciate when we work with them to develop and test the three Ps: position, promise and personality.

Here’s a peek inside the process for a new Catholic high school: