Insight

Y O U R H E A LT H S Y S T E M ' S brand is more than just the words and colors people use to identify it. Brand is the first line of public recognition and an opportunity to make the right impression. When it's time to revamp your brand, handle with care. These key do's and don'ts can help you find your way. DO: Research your market before and after. To get where you want to be, it helps to know where you are. That's why, when it was time for New Jersey-based South Jersey Healthcare and Underwood-Memorial Hospital to unify under the name Inspira Health Network, they took the time to measure brand awareness and reputation across the communities they serve. "Before we rebranded ourselves in 2012, the average awareness for the three hospitals was about 84 percent," says Gregory Potter, assistant vice president of marketing and public relations for Inspira Health Network. "We wanted to make sure we built a strong campaign so people would understand who Inspira Health Network was. One year after our brand campaign, we achieved 85 percent awareness for the new brand across the service area. It actually went up. That's how we knew we were on the right track." Don't: Abandon your brand and beliefs. Embrace the best parts of your health system—the people who heal, the faith that drives it, for example—and make sure they have a place in the new vision for the system. [See "Rebranding Saint Thomas."] WHAT'S IN A By Valerie Lauer WHETHER IT 'S THE RESULT OF A MERGER OR SIMPLY A STRATEGIC BUSINESS DECISION, REBRANDING OFFERS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR HEALTH SYSTEMS TO SEND THE COMMUNITIES THEY SERVE A CLEAR MESSAGE ABOUT WHO THEY ARE AND WHY THEY MATTER. According to healthcare mergers and acquisitions market analysts at Irving Levin Associates, there were 109 percent more healthcare industry mergers and acquisitions in the first quarter of 2015 than in the first quarter of the previous year— 346 deals total. best practices in REBRANDING 8 INSIGHT V11N4 TRUENORTHCUSTOM.COM

• Cover