Stamford Health's rebranding efforts didn't end with the grand opening.
The recent ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new $450 million Stamford Hospital in Fairfield, CT, marked the culmination of Stamford Health's year-long awareness and rebranding campaign.
Last summer, Stamford Hospital changed its name to Stamford Health, working with creative agency ab+c to aggressively roll out its new brand "Healing. Reimagined."
The challenge was to educate the public about what "Healing. Reimagined." meant and why the organization was changing its name to Stamford Health, said Maria Stearns, healthcare team director for ab+c.
To tackle this challenge, the ab+c team developed an integrated market-wide campaign to:
- incorporate new brand messaging
- promote Stamford's primary service lines
- raise awareness about the new hospital
In January, the hospital launched its rebranding campaign internally. The effort included a brand video, direct mail to employees, and a comprehensive internal communications plan.
This assured that employees understood the goals and were prepared to be brand ambassadors, Stearns said.
The rebranding campaign launched marketwide in February, with a focus on leveraging the brand and the new hospital to differentiate Stamford Health from others in the market.
A series of brand- and service-line-specific ads on broadcast and social media, mass transit, and outdoor signage directed people to landing pages on Stamford Health's website, where they could see new physician videos, find a doctor, make an appointment, learn about the new hospital, and engage with the Stamford team.
The campaign ran through late September, and the new hospital opened on September 26.
After the hospital opened, marketers launched a new commercial and virtual tour to encourage the public to take a closer look at the new facility—which occupies 650,000 square feet and includes 180 private patient rooms—and understand how it will change patient care.