UCHealth

Identifying the right point of connection

UCHealth had grown tremendously through a series of mergers and acquisitions. Despite strong business performance, the system struggled to differentiate in an increasingly competitive Colorado market. Two key new hires—Liz Concordia, CEO, and Manny Rodriguez, the very first Chief Marketing and Experience Officer—recognized that UCHealth had an opportunity to pull ahead of the pack with a powerful brand.

The organization sought to address two key questions around the brand: (1) Do we have the right name given our broad ambition, and (2) Do we have clarity around and commitment to the guiding tenets of our brand?

The Monigle team engaged more than 70 internal stakeholders—from the board to frontline staff—to understand their perspectives on what made UCHealth special. A robust, quantitative study clearly established the strength of the UCHealth name, but also revealed that the meaning surrounding the name was fragmented and uninspiring. While internal stakeholders thought that Colorado’s largely transplant community brought strong associations with academic medicine, research showed that a different set of ideas drove consumers’ choice of provider.

Treat me like an individual

Research revealed key audiences—both external and internal—want a more personalized experience. For patients, it means receiving customized care designed around the person, not just the illness or symptoms. (Learn more about UCHealth’s patient journey here.) For employees, it means receiving acknowledgment for who they are in addition to what they do. More than a key insight, this was the defining first step in reframing what UCHealth could be.

Driven by CMO Rodriguez’s out-of-industry experience, UCHealth dug deeper into the research learnings to determine how to push traditional health care thinking closer to the individual consumer. The result? A new brand concentrated on the concept of “freeing YOU to be YOU.” By reinforcing a focus on the individual, UCHealth created a brand that celebrates each person’s journey and empowers them to live their best life.

Reframing health care at UCHealth took time to socialize; the idea challenged the expectations of long-standing health care leaders across the enterprise. Purposefully timed executive and board presentations brought key stakeholders along on the journey.

“Our logo says it’s about you, not about us. Most of our communication will be focused on the patient. We are looking at the patient as a hero and we will be helping them tell their incredible stories.”Manny RodriguezChief Marketing and Experience Officer, UCHealth

It's all about you

To ensure simplicity and clarity for consumers, the team leveraged a master brand strategy. The UCHealth mark is prominent and serves as the only enterprise logo, while the remainder of the portfolio of services and offerings is organized and named based on how people think about and choose health care.

The brand’s central visual element, the arc, symbolizes an individual’s journey through life as well as UCHealth’s unique opportunity to affect each individual on that journey. The color palette’s primary color, the dark red reflected in the logo, expresses vibrancy and warmth. The logo’s lowercase letters say it’s not about UCHealth, it’s about the individual. That message comes through across the brand voice, which speaks directly to consumers through the use of personal pronouns; straightforward, jargon-free language; and questions that demonstrate both curiosity and insight into what’s on consumers’ minds.

“The brand launch day is like our wedding. But the next 18 months and beyond are about the marriage, and that’s where the hard work truly begins.”Manny RodriguezChief Marketing and Experience Officer, UCHealth

$584 million in annual community investments

UCHealth invests $1.6 million every day to directly benefit patients and communities, in areas like financial assistance, subsidized care, facilities, programs and more.

4,000 Interviews

Ahead of the rebrand, UCHealth engaged thousands of people both inside and outside of the system to determine what consumers really want out of their health care experience.