Branding : Branding A Healthcare Organization

What is Branding

Branding a healthcare organization requires that the organization know who it is according to the community, patients, and employees (Fellows, 2013). In order to develop a solid marketing strategy, an organization must align its goal or brand with its mission and vision. It has to be able to assure consumers and payers that what they are seeing and hearing is truly a reflection of its products, services, and organization. Four main factors of a brand include experience, satisfaction, trust, and attachment of the consumers to an organizations brand (Chinomona, 2013). Without these factors it would be difficult to identify whether or not a brand is successful, reliable, reputable, or recommended to and by consumers. Rightfully as important, a brand image as seen by consumers can make or break a brand. Brand image is the perception of a brand by its logo, affiliations, and reputation that can define a brand and organization either positively or negatively.

Who is The VHA

The Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) is the network run by the government to provide healthcare to veterans and their eligible family members. The mission of the VHA is “to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan’ by serving and honoring the men and women who are America’s Veterans” (VHA, 2015). The VHA’s core values are integrity, commitment, advocacy, respect, and excellence. The essence or message of the brand that the VHA has tried to determine is that the veteran is not alone in his or her healthcare journey, that the “VHA delivers world-class health care that is tailored to the unique needs of Veterans through specialized research, mobile technology, and patient-centered care” (VHA, 2012).

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...A has branding strategies in place to try and change the image that it currently holds. My efforts of rebranding only help those strategies develop further. The four main brand factors as discussed above; experience, satisfaction, trust and attachment help define a brand and draw in consumers. The VHA is not in need of consumers this is determined by other factors such as health and military service. The VHA is need of a new image that properly depicts who they are as an organization and what they hope to achieve. The undersecretary of the VHA, David Shulkin, is putting his best efforts forward in helping the VHA regain trust in the consumers and to assure quality care is being given at every level. Rebranding the VHA, even slightly can bring back its reputation and show consumers that Veteran Healthcare no longer needs to be the last result over private healthcare.