Question

Topic: Taglines/Names

Healthcare It Tagline/motto – Desperate For Help!

Posted by Anonymous on 6/24/2008 at 7:07 PM ET 25 Points
Hello all,
I have been tasked with coming up with a tagline/motto for our information technology department. (We are actually called “Information Services” or “IS”.) We are part of a relatively large Christian (Catholic, not-for-profit) health system, which includes 5 large hospitals, several clinics (primary care, specialty care, physical therapy, imaging, etc.), and a nursing home. Our department comprises of approximately 200 employees and our customers include (but are not limited to) patients, physicians, clinical staff, and business office staff.

Since we are a department, we are not looking to ‘brand’ ourselves, but merely looking to somewhat form/shape an identity for both ourselves (internally) and our customers. (This is the first part of a larger ‘identity project’.) While the assignment handed to me is labeled as a “tagline”, I’m not convinced it is such. Maybe some of you could offer suggestions on what exactly you call what I am looking for. Personally, I am leaning more towards it being a “motto”, or maybe just a signature. (Basically we are looking for a somewhat catchy phrase to sum up who we are, what we stand for, and what we do… something we can include on the bottom of our e-mails to our customers, and on internal ‘promotional’ materials (as a constant reminder of who we are).

I’ve been given the results of a focus group comprised by my predecessor. The group identified the following “elements” (or group of elements) that they felt was important to incorporate into this ‘tagline’ (in no particular order):
1.Mission (Spiritual, Christianity, care, compassion, faith)
2.Service (service-oriented, customer-centric, provider, enabling, empowering)
3.Healthcare (medical, patients, healing)
4.Technology (innovation, solutions, information, connecting)
5.Together (Team, One, Unity)

This list was presented to the leadership team who confirmed they were on the right track… then it was handed off to me!!

I’ve brainstormed and manipulated these ideas into several phrases, but none of which I feel is “it”, so I thought I would post in hopes some of you might be able to offer a fresh perspective and point me in the right direction.

ANY assistance you could provide would be so greatly appreciated!
Thank you very much in advance!
To continue reading this question and the solution, sign up ... it's free!
SUBSCRIBE
Or, SIGN IN

RESPONSES

  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 6/25/2008 at 9:31 AM Accepted
    We Answer Your Technology Prayers
  • Posted on 6/25/2008 at 5:04 PM Accepted
    I specialize in health care branding, so you're question is wildly intriguing for me.

    No doubt leadership loves the list of 5 things. But, a tagline, brand, motto (or whatever you want to label it), can't be 5 things. Or even two. Its power is directly proportional to its focus.

    The second bit of trouble with the list is that it's all business speak. Health care is ultimately about caring for people, caring for life.... Information Services and every other department. Your tagline should connect emotionally and serve to clarify. There's already a complete overload of jargon in health care.

    My third issue with the list is these items are relevant to the entire organization, not specific to Information Technology. You need to boil down what you do. What’s at your core? Your department helps control costs, protect privacy, maintain accurate records, and lots more. The challenge is to identify your essence and convey it in human terms…. without seeming to covet the halo ground of “caring” owned by physicians and nursing. Here’s an idea:

    Information Technology – empowering patients and providers

    Here’s another….sometimes there’s more power in a vision than a description:

    Information Technology – where the future is paperless

    Best of luck. Let us know where you end up!

    Jaime Collins
  • Posted on 7/3/2008 at 9:18 AM Accepted
    I was the marketing manager for a large 550-bed Catholic hospital here in New Hampshire some years back and we had 'disaffiliated' with a larger health system and had to re-establish our hospital as a viable organization. We branded eleven separate lines of business including the world-renown New England Heart Institute.

    We didn't 'brand' departments like marketing or IS but focused on those that had 'public' faces. If you want IS to have a 'face' for your internal customers then it could be promoted as an info/support line. The danger is that every department and line of business will then jump on the bandwagon and start branding themselves - which is not what marketing wants at all! I'm actually surprised that they're letting each department develop their own 'self-image'...

    Getting off my soapbox, I would say that what you need to focus on is the talent inside your offices - it's the staff that makes your department great and that's where you should begin.

    What is your overall hospital campaign? At CMC - we used 'We Are CMC - A New Era of Medicine' and it translated well into all other lines of business. Perhaps you could pony onto the hospital's overall campaign and then customize it for your own needs a bit?


  • Posted on 7/7/2008 at 12:06 PM Member
    Azee,

    Health care organizations can be cumbersome. Renee has some good thinking in terms of whether the project is right for the organization's brand at all. You might ask the question of marketing, but that risks opening an entirely new can-o-worms.

    If we consider just the project at hand... and your question about vision... my other advice is to consider your audience. This intended for internal customers. Don't over think it. Keep it clear and simple. The vision you noted above is jargon laden and speaks to health care executives only. In my own opionion, it's not even a vision. I'm one who believes a vision should be, well, forward thinking. And, if you want anyone to remember it and care about it, make it clear and simple with an emotional tug.
BACK TO TOP

Post a Comment

Related Discussions

Community Info

Top 25 Experts
(Taglines/Names)