The Value of a Brand, Part 1

Ask most people what a brand is and you will get some variation of this answer: a brand is the name of a company or product. Suppose someone asked you to describe the characteristics of a car. In essence, all cars are the same, so you would likely say a car has four wheels, an engine, brakes, and a transmission and has one essential function: to transport you from one place to another.

If we change the question, though, and ask you to describe the characteristics of a Porsche Carrera, a Cadillac Escalade, and a Hyundai Accent, most of us will offer far more detailed descriptions—and the functional attributes are not likely to be mentioned. Instead, we will talk about perceived value and level of quality, how each one makes us feel, and whether or not we want one.

Brands do not simply name things. They are a promise to the consumer, they impute value, and they shape customer expectations. A brand helps to create the foundation for an organization’s preferred narrative by defining priorities, expectations, and objectives. The least important and most replicable element of any product or service is the product’s attributes. In our car example, this is the wheels, engine, etc. The most powerful and persistent brand elements are those that confer emotional benefits: driving a Porsche says “Look at me,” while driving a Hyundai says “I am frugal.”

RiverStone Health began in 1974 as the local health department for Yellowstone County, Montana. It was known as Yellowstone City-County Health Department (YCCHD) and operated under the auspices of the Board of County Commissioners, with the local board of health serving as an advisory/public health policy body. Over time, the organization took on more programs and services, including expanded public health, primary medical care, and homecare. In 1998, the health department was restructured into a multi-jurisdictional service district, resulting in separation from the county structure and the commissioner’s operational oversight as the board of health became the overall governing body. Although the health department was no longer a department of the county, the decision was made to retain the YCCHD name.

Fast forward to 2006. YCCHD continued to grow rapidly and establish itself as a major player in the arenas of public health, healthcare, social services, and healthcare education in the eight years since the restructuring. Primary care grew dramatically, and additional sites, including a family medicine residency program, had become part of YCCHD, and a hospice agency was closely aligned with the homecare operation. Not only was YCCHD no longer a descriptive term, but market research showed that the agency was largely unknown. Some programs (e.g., community health center, homecare, and hospice) were only slightly better known. The board of health decided to rebrand the organization, although in reality, the goal at the time was simply to change the name. Two years later, the final decision was to select the name RiverStone Health, and the new brand launched on June 30, 2008.

Branding is a journey of introspection, a “warts and all” look at and into the organization. At the core, developing and defining a brand is about answering a series of deceptively difficult questions. When taken together, those answers create the promise that is the very essence of a brand.

To answer these questions effectively, the organization’s leadership must be brutally honest. Brands should be aspirational and inspirational. The organization’s development is guided by its brand promise, so a brand that does not require improvement or a stretch will do little to move the organization forward.

After seven years, how has branding helped RiverStone Health? Externally, 90% of Yellowstone County adults are familiar with the organization. That number is triple the initial familiarity measured in 2002 and double the level of familiarity with YCCHD in 2008. Our “sand art” ads are so well known that people who never use our services know us and comment favorably about our organization. Although one-tenth the size of the two hospitals in Billings, RiverStone Health is an equal partner and the convener of numerous collaborative projects related to community health assessment and improvement. The well-defined RiverStone Health brand, made consistent through strict adherence to brand standards (i.e., how the agency presents itself in all media), has helped the community understand the value of public health by showing clearly what we do and the results we produce. A clear brand ensures that there is no doubt about what the organization accomplished.

Read Part 2, including "Questions to Ask When Building a Brand" and other resources