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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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
Has to have brand character to avoid
commodity comparison
Value through confidence in maker, not
cheapest

Attractive Personality
Much talked about
Driven by a desire to delight
Continually active new news

Continually Does what it says on the tin

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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
Images

IDENTITY WHEEL

Typography

REDPRINT
Logo
Team
Colours

Tagline
Style of
Language

RED SPIDER
Red Spider
Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

Brand REDPRINT Components

Brand Idea
Brand Values
Competitive Context Brand Promise
Target Audience Segmentation
Brand Persona
Brand Proposition
Manifesto

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

The Desired Core Values of Nursing

Always
Learning

Creative
Brave

Professional
Career

Practical

Cope

Life and Death

MAKE A
DIFFERENCE

Vital

Diversity

Surprises
VERSATILITY

Intelligence
Constant Challenge

Communication
Give
and take

Innovative

Demanding

Care
TEAMWORK

COMPASSION Rewarding

Mutual respect
Sensitivity
Enabler

Intimacy
Listening
Skills

Emotional Intelligence
- 6th sense; intuition; empathy
- soft human skills

Source: spider analysis of

NSM Workshop 1104
Red Spider Ltd. 2004

Values of Nursing visualise them

Always
Learning

Creative
Brave

Practical

Professional
Career

Innovative

Cope

Life and Death

Surprises

Diversity

Intelligence

Vital
Communication

Constant Challenge
Demanding

Care

Give
and take

Rewarding

Mutual respect
Sensitivity
Enabler

Intimacy
Listening
Skills

Emotional Intelligence
- 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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Complementary health medicine

More diversity in nursing

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 !

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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.
Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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

Red Spider Ltd. 2004

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