Captivating Audiences with an Inspired Rebrand

The Research Goals

This new partnership, among three geographically dispersed providers, combined their suite of services to reach a broader, nationwide audience. Our ad agency client needed to gain a foundational understanding of the brand perceptions across the three providers. The research findings would help guide development of a new brand positioning that could meet the needs and expectations of a diverse target audience including patients, staff, community constituents, and donors. ​

Uncovering deep-seated brand perceptions, associations, and experiences required engaging with the target audiences in personal, qualitative ways. Our client also needed quantitative data to identify which brand attributes, positioning directions, and brand name impressions resonated most closely among a broad cross-section of participants. The key research goals included:​

• Uncovering the core strengths, key values, and unique benefits of the three providers​
• Identifying the most important attributes when selecting a healthcare and social services provider​
• Evaluating reactions to new brand positioning concepts for the newly merged entity

Our Approach

The DRG designed a three-part, hybrid, qualitative-quantitative study beginning with in-depth phone interviews, a series of focus group discussions, and ending with an online survey to validate the qualitative findings.​

The focus groups took place onsite at each provider’s facilities to encourage participation and help ease any concerns about sharing their personal experiences. To manage travel costs, the groups were moderated remotely with live, online viewing available to the client and provider teams.​

The online survey included conducting a Max Diff analysis to identify the most important to least important rational and emotional brand attributes. We also captured reactions to a series of brand positioning concepts to validate insights from the qualitative phase.

The Outcome

The research findings helped guide development of a compelling, deeply meaningful, and cohesive brand positioning. Our client leveraged the insights gained across the three providers and among the diverse target audiences to refine the brand vision, mission, and core values of the newly created organization. ​

Impressions surrounding the most important brand attributes helped serve as a springboard for crafting a new brand name – one that successfully communicates the breadth of services that appeal most to patients. Gaining a deeper understanding of which services were most important and which outcomes mattered most helped inform key messaging development that now conveys a stronger sense of community.​

Our client was able to develop many other brand assets based on data-based insights including a new website, internal campaign to launch the brand among all employees, and a cross-channel ad campaign to reintroduce the brand to the public.

This could be YOUR win.