April 22, 2005

Project under way to define and enhance MGH brand

For almost 200 years, the MGH has led New England and the nation in high-quality care, research and education. Even with a name as strong and as recognizable as the MGH, a new era of competitive health care delivery, specialized centers and a sometimes-confusing health care market has made it critical that the hospital invest in one of its most important assets: the MGH "brand." A large-scale initiative currently is under way to define the MGH brand and provide a framework for communicating it in a way that is relevant and meaningful to the hospital's many audiences: patients, physicians, employees, donors and the surrounding community.

What comes to mind when people think of Sears, Disney, Volvo or Starbucks? Is there a certain image, impression or feeling? This is because a brand is a perception that is a result of experiences and information about a company or product. A brand should succinctly communicate the key values and offerings of an organization. Research shows that while the MGH name has considerable recognition in Eastern Massachusetts, the hospital is not well known consistently here and in other parts of the country. The MGH Marketing Department and MGH leadership are focused on enhancing the brand to clearly differentiate the MGH from competitors and communicate the hospital's story to key audiences with one voice.

The branding development process incorporates a number of steps:

• interviews with the MGH leadership team
• research into the benefits and associations consumers have with the MGH;
• identifying consumers' needs;
• detailed analysis of competitors' images as consumers see them;
• survey of referring physicians; and
• survey of MGH employees.

Every employee plays a critical role in developing the MGH brand. As part of the branding process, it is important that the hospital understands what employees think of the MGH and how they perceive what patients think of the hospital. To get this kind of feedback, the Marketing Department soon will be distributing both paper and electronic surveys to all employees. All employees who complete the survey will be eligible to win one of 20 Apple iPods
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"We are extremely interested in understanding our employees' perception about the essence of what the MGH stands for," says Peter L. Slavin, MD, president of the MGH. "Opinions from our staff will be vital in deciding how to communicate the core of our image. I hope everyone will take the time to fill out this survey."

The research is expected to be completed by June 2005. The branding initiative, which will communicate and clarify the MGH identity, should be ready to implement by fall 2005.

"The identity and brand of the MGH are not just abstract concepts," says David Torchiana, MD, chairman and CEO of the Massachusetts General Physicians Organization. "As much as anything, it is a product of what the MGH staff perceive it to be and how we communicate that message to others."