A common meme in healthcare today is disruption. And there's a lot to be said for disrupting healthcare. A lot of healthcare is broken. Same goes for healthcare marketing, which lags behind other categories in engaging audiences. But looking for solutions often means starting with inspiration. I found inspiration for fixing healthcare marketing while eating at Chipotle. Read more »

Adapted from Franklin Street's Healthcare Marketing Trends Report Where's your smart phone right now? Chances are good that it's within arm's reach. According to a Morgan Stanley study, 91% of smartphone owners keep their phones beside them 24 hours a day. (An interesting office poll: ask your colleagues how many sleep with their phones. The number who do will surprise you.) Read more »

We spend a lot of time talking about good branding and what it means in healthcare. But even the great branding efforts will fall flat if it’s not executed consistently across all media—including signage. After all, the best ad campaigns in the world won’t help you if people can’t find their way around. And since patient satisfaction and feedback also affects government reimbursement, good signage is more important than ever. Read more »

 Chipotle, the Starbucks of burritos, proves once again small things make a huge impact on a brand.The other day at lunch, I noticed one of the soft drink dispensers was out-of-order.Instead of Sharpie scribbled scrap of paper taped to the dispenser, Chipotle used the opportunity to reinforce its irreverent brand.Tricia, our spring digital intern from VCU, calls it service recovery – the opportunity to make a customer even Read more »

We're not talking gift shops or Starbucks. Lake Health's West Medical Center in Ohio recently became the first in the country to feature an entire wellness-focused retail store inside the hospital.We spoke with Gary Robinson, Vice President for Government and Community Affairs, on the venture that could influence how organizations nationwide work to keep patients healthy and out of the hospital.But healthcare reform didn't drive Read more »

Our president, Will Flynn, was recently featured in a documentary on graphic design in Richmond, which directed by a VCU student, Jamie Bourne, along with Bekky Rage and Rachel Kim. Will is a VCU graphic design alum (Go Rams!), has taught at VCU, and regularly speaks to students about the communications, healthcare, and design industries.httpv://vimeo.com/36195746In the documentary, Will talks about the importance of specialization: that by Read more »

Take a moment to think about the following brands: Nike, Apple, Coca-Cola, Exxon, McDonald’s. What do they all have in common besides giant war chests, near-global ubiquity and a preference for questionable business practices?Consistency.  There’s a very good reason why every Apple retail store looks exactly the same, or why every McDonald’s bag faithfully adheres to the red and yelow color scheme. True, consistency can be boring and predictable, Read more »

Welcome back! (Missed earlier blog in the series? Click here.)Jolly Holidayhttpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJTSl4niMLAIn the middle of a Technicolor animated wonderland, Bert tries to (chimney) sweep Mary Poppins off her feet with a song about the wonders of quality time with the magical nanny. (It’s right before a group of penguins serve them tea. I know, it’s all coming back to you now.)Ain't it a glorious day? Right as a mornin' Read more »