BACKGROUND / CHALLENGE:
EmblemHealth is one of the nation’s largest nonprofit health insurers, with 3.1 million members and an 80-year legacy of serving New York’s communities. In 2013, this $7B revenue business decided to join forces with four affiliated, multi-specialty physician’s practice groups to create a new unified HMO organization to deliver convenient, best-in-class care, customer service and health outcomes through an innovative, advanced care model.
This new entity would be comprised of over 400 physicians, plus an additional 2,500 other non-clinical employees, at 39 locations in the New York metropolitan area.
EmblemHeath approached WANT to assist in creating a new unified brand for the joint practices, including a positioning, name and identity, as well as an internal campaign that would help unify the separate groups and their employees.
SOLUTION:
During our initial discovery phase, which included competitive/peer audits, document reviews and stakeholder interviews, one of our interviewees–part of the team of doctors leading the unification–told us that his vision was that these practices would be “held to a higher standard” when it came to the treatment of patients. That quote led us to what would become the final positioning idea, one that resonated with stakeholders across the board: Health To A Higher Standard. Then the positioning was expanded into a Tone Of Voice (TOV) guideline–directing how the brand should consistently communicate with all audience–both external and internal–across all touchpoints.
After the positioning and TOV were established, we moved on to the name and identity for the new group. We explored hundreds of name options and dozens of potential designs, finally landing on a name that referenced the groups desire to advance patient care, while simultaneously putting patients’ needs first: AdvantageCare Physicians. The identity utilized a ribbon that became a visual element across all touchpoints, representing the new union and connection between what was once 4 separate groups.
Finally, we created a robust internal marketing campaign, which included posters, pins, flyers and other sales materials, all expressing the new positioning, attributes and values.
OUTCOME:
EmblemHealth is one of the highest-rated nonprofit health insurers in the country. Since the AdvantageCare Physicians (ACP) brand was launched, EmblemHealth’s revenues climbed by over 40% to $10B. ACP has also remained true to its positioning of Heath To A Higher Standard, with one of their most noteworthy initiatives being the “whole you” care model–where each individual patient’s care is monitored and accompanied by a consistent team of doctors–doctors who are with you from the day treatment starts to the day it concludes.