Lovelace Health System

Prescription for a Healthy Brand

What We Did.

  • Strategic Planning
  • Media Strategy
  • Brand/Identity Development
  • Collateral Design
  • Website Development
  • Advertising
    • Radio
    • TV
    • Out-of-Home
    • Print
    • Online

Challenge.

For many of its 85 years, Lovelace was a national leader in medicine and the premier healthcare brand in New Mexico. With changes in ownership, management and direction, the once preferred brand lost its luster along with considerable market share. The Lovelace system was acquired by Nashville-based Ardent Health Services and was merged with St. Joseph Healthcare and renamed Lovelace Sandia Health System. The merger and name change created consumer confusion and resulted in additional decline in business, employee morale and physician morale. This was a brand in distress.


Elegant simplicity and understated symbology defined the new brand identity. The single name “Lovelace” in classic typography was married to a subtle heart symbol reversed out of the “V.” Elegant simplicity and understated symbology defined the new brand identity. The single name “Lovelace” in classic typography was married to a subtle heart symbol reversed out of the “V.”

Strategy.

With the comprehensive audit results, we collaborated closely with the Lovelace management team, marketing team and Ardent to develop and execute a strategic plan to create a new brand identity and messaging platform. The solution was right in front of our eyes – “Love.” The word “Love” was not only a part of the system’s long respected name, but it’s a word that suggests a deep, caring relationship. As a critical part of the brand aesthetic we used the colorful gerbera daisy to project a friendly, approachable retail brand.

Branding from the inside out.

Our proprietary branding process is a discovery and analysis tool designed to work from the inside out. Why? Because the brand experience is never delivered by “branding” but by the employees of the organization. From the medical staff, physicians, nurses, to housekeeping, maintenance and food service, every single person and function within a healthcare organization has the ability to improve or compromise the brand experience. What better place to start?

Results.

The results of any rebranding program are a shared accomplishment of everyone involved. Along with K2MD Health and the Lovelace marketing department, literally thousands of employees contributed to turning this brand around. A smart and strategic rebrand pays dividends for decades to come: more business, better business, employee retention, physician and employee recruitment, and the most important of all, customer trust and loyalty. Lovelace continues to experience all of this and more.

Rebuilding a healthcare brand begins with a deep understanding of healthcare, consumer/patient wants & needs, and a clear picture of the condition of the troubled brand. Using our Brand Building Blueprint process, we began the brand audit.

“The funniest thing was that while spending less on advertising, we were accused of doubling our ad budget and flooding the market. That is the value of the brand.”

– Lovelace Medical Center CEO

Following the successful internal campaign, Lovelace launched its full scale external campaign, including a full page newspaper print series, television spots, banners, recruitment tools, web site, and a stronger community presence. The system was visually unified with a carefully planned brand aesthetic that quickly elevated Lovelace above their competition. The ever-changing, colorful gerbera daisy has become the friendly brand symbol resonating with consumers as a refreshing change from the tired, typical health care visuals.

“The Lovelace rebrand provided clarity about who we really are to all of our customers – our physicians, patients, employees, brokers, vendors, and our government constituents. We needed one easily recognizeable name, one mission, and one message backed up by a level of quality that would transform all of our constituents into brand ambassadors.”

– Ron Stern, CEO
Lovelace Health System

To announce the renaming of Lovelace, a 10-story banner was hung on the face of Lovelace Medical Center, the system’s flagship hospital. Visible from the freeway, the banner helped to establish the new name and associate the facility, formerly called Albuquerque Regional Medical Center, with Lovelace.