Internally the research showed that the employees were wounded by the negative publicity, but still continued to have pride in the work that they and their units did. The external research revealed that the community was seriously questioning the quality of the system. However, they would quickly point out employees they knew personally or through patient experience and would extoll the quality of care they received from those individuals.
Approach
Expertise
Senior Account Lead, Research, Strategic Planning, Brand Positioning, Communications Planning
Background
When Mount Carmel brought our team in, they were dealing with a very public crisis that shook the community’s faith in the healthcare system. Compounding this, throughout the first year several other negative events unfolded that contributed to the community’s lack of faith.
Strategic Insights
We began by doing both an internal and external assessment of the damage. Mount Carmel was well known in the market but because of recent negative issues uncovered the system now lacked trust from the public. However, the people that worked at Mount Carmel were viewed as hard working, quality healthcare providers that were not part of the negative issues. It was clear, the people that work at Mount Carmel are what make it so special. It was also apparent that the community enjoyed seeing and hearing positive stories of actual employees that work at Mount Carmel.
Solution
We decided that the best course of action was to have the employees become the “face” of Mount Carmel. We highlighted positive stories about Mount Carmel employees and the care they provide to rebuild trust. These stories were conveyed through an omni-channel approach including TV, Sponsorships, Radio, Print, Digital Media, Social and Streaming Radio.
Outcome
Research showed the brand recovery strategy worked and the negative perceptions began to improve. After a year preference increased 26% from a historic low, 22% more people said they were likely to consider Mount Carmel for healthcare needs, and among those with top-of-mind awareness of the issues, Quality was the top rated attribute for the Mount Carmel health system.