NURSING as a BRAND

V5

RED SPIDER
to focus & inspire
Contents

Why employ branding?

What is a brand?

What job should the brand strategy do?

How is the brand communicated?

What kind of brand is your brand?

Brand Strategy vs Brand Identity (you have asked us to do the former while wanting the latter)

Components of the Brand REDPRINT

Brand Idea

Brand Values

Competitive Context Brand Promise

Brand Persona

Brand Proposition

Manifesto

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

On Branding

Branding is inevitable we perceive and pigeonhole images quickly - it is human nature

e.g. what images come to mind of a Social Worker vs Fire-fighter?

Branding is everybodys business there are lots of contact points and interactions which
create an image and reputation in peoples minds ending up with levels of trust, respect,
and perceived quality of a brands expected performance

(Good) Branding is about closing the gap between your intention and others perceptions

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What is a brand?

A promise in the mind of the customer / staff

A set of associations attached to a product or service

A means of communication between customers in shorthand

A mark of trust in a desired relationship

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What job should the brand strategy do?

Bring the organisation/institution/calling to life

Act as a common reference point

Be clear, concise, and inspiring;

Internally
Externally
For all stakeholders

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What job should the brand strategy do? (contd.)

Should sell off the top of the offer best foot forward

BUT must also be true

Acid Test
Distinctive

Is your
brand?

Credible Relevant

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How is the brand communicated?

The image via TV programmes, magazine articles, advertising, signage, brochures, web
site, corporate identity, uniforms, logo.

By all aspects of the experience and the customer/patient journey

In the way you relate internally your organisational culture

By the people who are the brand

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Types of Brand

Partner

The sweet spot

Performance Personality

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Types of Brand

Chosen Partner People

Professionalism (challenge to improve)
Promise of help, care, advice
Continual attention

Consistent Performance Attractive Personality

Has to have brand character to avoid Much talked about
commodity comparison
Driven by a desire to delight
Value through confidence in maker, not
cheapest Continually active new news
Continually Does what it says on the tin

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What kind of brand is your brand?

Defining a Service Brand

Everything connected to the essence of an organisation. The directors, all the people,
the products, the logo, its physical presence, its voice, its reputation, its associations
and endorsements, its customer relationships, and the sum total of all its marketing
communications. The brand means every incarnation, and every living, breathing
second of an organisations life

Source; Brandstorm

There are so many factions involved that it can appear impossible to prescribe a Nursing Brand Strategy

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WARNING!!

Service Brands are hardest to maintain

Aim for the sweet spot of chosen partner + attractive personality + consistent performance

Very easy to let the ideal down by an individuals behaviour

Consistency in the face of the day to day adversities is hard to guarantee

Simplicity and clarity of what you want the brand to be is paramount

- to act as an anchor for the mind in the storm

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Brand Strategy vs. Brand Identity

The brand strategy is the set of meanings we want to attach to our brand

The desired strategy has to be coherent - like the elements of a story

The REDPRINT template

The brand identity is how we execute strategy visualise and communicate it - from the
uniforms through to the advertising/brochures/website etc

Visual
Typography
Images

IDENTITY WHEEL REDPRINT

Logo
Team
Tagline
Colours
Style of
Language
RED SPIDER
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Brand REDPRINT

Brand REDPRINT - final brand strategy document

Succinct summary of key brand strategy elements

Presented to suppliers
jumping off point for brand communications

It helps you achieve synergy across all brand contact points

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Brand REDPRINT Components

Brand Idea

Brand Values

Competitive Context Brand Promise

Target Audience Segmentation

Brand Persona

Brand Proposition

Manifesto

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 Loglines

Fundamental Idea of a brand/company/organisation as if

you are pitching the high concept to a producer to get a
movie made

25 words or less

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Recommended LOGLINE

- the idea of Nursing is:

- a challenging demanding fulfilling professional

career providing tailored care for the health of
individuals to help heal, aid recuperation and
improve their well-being

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Values

A method of word and image association to make the complexity of

brands simple, understandable, memorable, distinctive, and manageable
Core Values drive brand behaviours.

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Red Spider Planets & Moons
core values drive brand behaviours

Values are: qualities we prize

important or desirable traits
standards we judge by
guiding principles, morals
our ideals

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Red Spider Planets & Moons

Core values are planets

unchanging
few
commonly agreed
drive brand behaviours

Secondary characteristics are moons

diverse
changeable
often contradictory
moons cluster to form planets

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 The Desired Core Values of Nursing

Creative Always
Professional Learning
Brave Practical Career Innovative

Life and Death Cope

Surprises
MAKE A VERSATILITY
Diversity Intelligence
DIFFERENCE
Vital Constant Challenge

Communication Care Demanding

Give
and take TEAMWORK COMPASSION Rewarding

Mutual respect
Sensitivity
Intimacy
Enabler Emotional Intelligence
Listening
Skills - 6th sense; intuition; empathy
- soft human skills
Source: spider analysis of
NSM Workshop 1104
Red Spider Ltd. 2004
 Values of Nursing visualise them

Creative Always
Professional Learning
Brave Practical Career Innovative

Life and Death Cope

Surprises

Diversity Intelligence
Vital Constant Challenge

Communication Care Demanding

Give
and take Rewarding

Mutual respect
Sensitivity
Intimacy
Enabler Emotional Intelligence
Listening
Skills - 6th sense; intuition; empathy
- soft human skills
Source: spider analysis of
NSM Workshop 1104
Red Spider Ltd. 2004
The test of your Planets & Moons map

Differentiates as a collective set from other caring professions

Easily resonates with those who uphold the brand (the nurses are the brand)

Nothing you do should contradict the values map or it is off strategy

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Positioning

A way of handling competitive threats,from different potential choices for our target
audience.
A tool for creating the brands competitive stance.

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Web of Competitors

Consider key competitors

How should we respond to their challenge to our brand

Like a debate what are our ripostes!

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 Competitive context

Social work
Nursing is better than social work because it is
Held in higher esteem has wider career prospects
Is more autonomous
Less fearful working environment
Empowers you to make decisions
Has a wider perspective on life
Is the profession that helps, whereas social work interferes
Healthcare
More diversity in nursing
Complementary health medicine
Greater credibility as a career- not at the mercy of latest fad and fashion
Teaching
More intimate relationship e.g. you can touch patients
No huge pile of take home marking !

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Insights

Societal - The world around us feels to be increasingly

isolating and individualistic, ever more threatening and with a
diminishing sense of community. Nursing on the other hand
gets close to people, and offers a sense of belonging, but
there is a fear it may lacking professional respect, making it
less attractive to join.

Category - 80% of people are bored at work; and although

they are close to people they are not truly with them.
Nursing is perpetually active, but it is often seen as too
challenging for most people to face up to

Brand - Patient care is at the core of the purpose of Nursing,

and unlike other caring jobs it is helping, giving and touching
(literal & metaphoric), dealing with people and not dealing
just with problem people or simply about the problems
people have.

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Nursing can assume a brand leadership in its Brand Promise

Should sell off the top of the offer best foot forward

Nursing is the most emotionally rewarding career

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 Manifesto for NURSING as a Brand Movement
What do we want to change or achieve?
Get rid of the outmoded images of the stereotypical Nurse
Who/ what is the Enemy and our Supporters?
Our enemy is self doubt
Those who come in to contact with us value us the most
What are we For?
Provision of the best of Patient Care
Accepting that intense reward does not have to be acclaimed
What are we Against?
Unloved and uncaring-ness
How will we Behave?
With pride, compassion and positive-ness
With dignity courage and fortitude
Acknowledging that this is a career for big hearts not faint hearts
Whats our role in peoples lives?
The out-held hand

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

Brand REDPRINT Summary
Brand idea
Nursing is a challenging demanding fulfilling professional career providing tailored care for the
health of individuals to help heal, aid recuperation and improve their well-being
Brand Values
Maintain: Teamwork, Compassion
Build: Versatility, Make a Difference
Target market
NSM readers who are busy, and at times self questioning having given out so much and at
worst feel beleaguered, stretched, tired and undervalued at times
Insight
The majority of people are bored in their jobs, feel stuck in a rut, going through the motions
feeling life is passing them by, and dream of something more involving and fulfilling. While
Nursing can provide the answer it is surprising how many people are not up to its demands.
Brand Promise
Nursing is the most emotionally rewarding career
Brand Proposition
Nursing enriches peoples lives at times they most need it
Brand Persona
Quiet power
Manifesto
You need a big, big heart, a desire to learn fast, and be prepared for some surprises given the
variety of challenges in individual patient care.
Your watchwords will be dignity courage and fortitude

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

Thank You

www.redspider.co.uk
02074320060

Red Spider Ltd. 2004