Case 1

A Healthy Image

Mary Wilson was both nervous and excited as she opened her first staff meeting in
the marketing department of St. Margarets General Hospital. Marys new role was
Director of Marketing and Communications. Her primary task was to increase the visibility
of St. Margarets Hospital in order to raise the image of the institution in the eyes of the
many publics served. The long-term goal was to attract the best possible physicians while
increasing use of the hospitals facilities and attracting more patients.
The world of health care has dramatically changed in the past decade.
Governmental regulations and support, concerns about lawsuits, evolving and expensive
technologies, and changes in health insurance provisions affect hospitals of all sizes. In
addition, St. Margarets faced strong competition. The hospitals primary location is in a
major metropolitan area in Minnesota. Two other large hospitals also offer comparable
services in the same city. Each seeks to sign physicians to exclusive contracts in which
they will only provide care with one organization.
The other significant challenge to St. Margarets is its proximity to the Mayo
Clinic. Clearly Mayo holds the highest level of prestige in the state and even in the region.
Most physicians are inclined to think of Mayo first when making referrals for patients with
difficult medical problems. Mayo would be viewed by most publics as the best care
possible.
The key issues in the image of any health organization are developing trust and a
feeling of confidence in the quality of care that will be received. Beyond technological
advantages, other, more subtle elements of an image could have an influence. Mary noted
that to most patients the nurse plays a primary role in determining how the hospital is
viewed. An uncaring and inattentive nurse is likely to drive away both the patient who
encountered the nurse and all of the patients family and friends. Negative word-of-mouth,
Mary said, must be held to an absolute minimum.
Mary believed St. Margarets needed to overcome two problems. First, the name
Margaret is not commonly used anymore. Some publics may view it as an old-
fashioned name. Second, there was nothing distinctive about the hospitals image. The
overlap in services provided (heart care, cancer treatment) made it difficult to differentiate
St. Margarets from other providers.
If there was any advantage, Mary believed it was that St. Margarets was affiliated
with the Catholic Church. It was the only nonprofit hospital of the three major competitors.
This attracted both Catholic patients and some Catholic physicians. Also, the hospital was
able to utilize the services of a wide variety of volunteers.
As the marketing meeting opened, the agenda was to discuss all the ways St.
Margarets could build its client base. The task would not be easy, but everyone in the
room believed the hospital offered high-quality services in a caring atmosphere.
1. What are the image issues in this case?
2. What are the brand-name issues? Should the brand name be changed? If so, to
what?
3. What types of advertisements should Mary develop for St. Margarets General
Hospital?
4. What other types of activities could St. Margarets pursue to build a strong and
positive corporate image?

(Source: Clow, K., Baack, D., Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing
Communication, Third Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, U.S.A., 2007, page 57)
 1. What are the image issues in this case?

Valorile proprii unei marci sunt: diferentierea, stima, relevanta si notorietatea, iar imaginea
este reprezentarea acestor valori adaugand valoare produselor si/sau serviciilor unei marci.

In cazul de fata problema de imagine este lipsa diferentierii datorita multitudinii de service
oferite, care sunt similare cu ale competitorilor. Pentru imbunatatirea acestui aspect spitalul
ar trebui sa puna accent pe serviciul cel mai bun pe care il ofera cardologic, oncologic,
medicina generala etc.- sis a il folosesca drept pilon in crearea imaginii sale.

The image issue expressed in this case is its lack of distinctiveness. The image is a
representation of the brand equity, which is the added value of products or services. The
value can be reflected in how consumers feel, think, and act with respect to the brand.
According to the brand asset valuator (BAV), there are four distinct components of brand
equity: differentiation, relevance, esteem, and knowledge. In this case, differentiation is
lacking, which is the degree to which a brand is seen as different from others. As cited in
the text, "the overlap in services provided made it difficult to differentiate St. Margaret's
from other providers." The effort to improve differentiation must come from identifying
the best service St. Margaret provides and then focusing its image on one particular
service, whether it is heart care or cancer treatment.

2. What are the brand-name issues? Should the brand name be changed? If so, to
what?

Cu un nume considerat de public ca fiind de moda veche aceasta poate fi o problema.

Afilierea cu biserica Catolica si aportul voluntarilor la care se adauga costurile mici
datorate faptului ca este o organizatie non- profit pot fi folosite in avantajul numelui pentru
ca il face usor de retinut, ii da insemnatate, este placut si intr-un fel ofera protectie. Numele
nu ar trebui schimbat.

The brand-name issues mentioned in the text is the name "Margaret", which is viewed to
the public as an "old-fashioned" name. The brand name doesn't have to change but there
are some considerations to think about when developing the brand-name. There are six
elements and includes the following: is the name 1)memorable, 2)meaningful, 3) likeable,
4)transferable, 5)adaptable, and 6)protectable? The name must have all six elements.

3. What types of advertisements should Mary develop for St. Margaret's General
Hospital?

Fiind o componenta importanta in realizarea notorietatii marcii, publicitatea Spitalului Sf.

Margareta ar trebui sa mearga in directii cum ar fi marketingul social (fiind organizatie
non-profit), sponsorizare (a diferitelor evenimente sociale), declaratii in presa, recomandari
ale clientilor, intalniri cu angajatii spitalului (asistenti, medici), vizite la bolnavii care nu se
pot deplasa, mediile de socializare.

Brands are not built on advertising alone. Although advertising is large component of
building brand awareness. Customers become aware of brands through a range of contacts
and touch points including; word of mouth, personal observation and usage, interactions
with company personnel, online and telephone experiences, and payment transactions.
Mary can create brand contact with consumers through many avenues like event
marketing, sponsorship, public relations and press releases, factory visits, and social cause
marketing.

4. What other types of activities could St. Margaret's pursue to build a strong and
positive corporate image?

Pentru a crea o imagine puternic pozitiva a organizatiei pe care o reprezinta Mary ar trebui
sa faca toate eforturile ca imaginea si marketing-ul organizatiei sa fie usor identificabile si
de retinut, pe intelesul cat mai multor categorii sociale pentru a atrage cat mai multi
posibili clienti; pe scurt, o intensa personalizare a marcii.

Apoi ar trebui sa aleaga o gama variata de tipuri de marketing, bazate pe punctele forte ale
organizatiei aratate mai sus, concepute si livrate in asa fel incat prin ele sa obtina efecte
maxime atat la nivelul colectivitatii dar si al individului.

Si nu in ultimul rand sa foloseasca marketingul intern pentru a exploata forta si

credibiliatea personalului care lucreaza in spital pentru ca acestia sa impartasesca o
imagine de success a locului unde lucreaza.

Other activities include developing new themes around designing brand-building or

developing a positive corporate image: personalization, integration, and internalization.
Personalization marketing is more about making sure the brand and its marketing is
relevant as possible to as many customers as possible. Integration marketing is about
mixing and matching marketing activities to maximize their individual their individual and
collective effects. Finally, internalization are activities and processes that help to inform
and inspire employees so that they are willing to share positive corporate images.