In the upper Midwest, we are fortunate to have access to a healthcare system that delivers a level of care normally found only in larger metropolitan markets. SMDC Health System, the largest healthcare provider in this region, was the result of a 1997 merger between the longstanding entities of St. Mary’s Medical Center and the Duluth Clinic, and the later addition of Miller-Dwan Medical Center.

This merger, while in reality creating a healthcare system that was better able to treat its patients, resulted in a perceived disconnection with some consumers, whom research showed felt lost within the system and who missed the personal connection to their trusted healthcare brands.

In 2002, we were hired by SMDC, and our first assignment was a system-wide rebranding effort. In addition to leveraging the equity of their individual entities with consumers, we set out to “warm them up”—to tell their story within the framework of an overall system that is warm, personal and provides exceptional care. Research, focus groups and personal interviews led us to their new position: caring people who possess great medical minds. The resulting positioning line: “The soul and science of healing.”

Within months of airing, employees and consumers alike were buzzing with stories of a healthcare system that was personally invested in caring for its patients. In addition to new logos for each entity, new internal and external signage provided a warm greeting to patients. Each of SMDC’s 6,000 employees received a personal gift, along with materials introducing the new brands and a “first look” at the new creative. In the media, television, radio, print and outdoor all provided support for an organization that was generating positive momentum, both on its balance sheets and in the minds of its patients.