HEALTH CARE

University Health Network

CHALLENGE AND OPPORTUNITY

When three hospitals - Toronto General, Princess Margaret and Toronto Western - merged, the new institution was named The Toronto Hospital. Each hospital had its own location and culture and was protective of its identity. The collective name was an abstraction, not a place. It was an impediment to internal integration and confusing to external audiences.

Our process involved in-depth consultation with senior executives, doctors, staff and board members. Through these consultations, we discovered that the organization didn't just need a new visual identity, it needed a new name. We created a new name for the organization - University Health Network - and recommended keeping the names of the individual hospitals.

RESULTS

When the CEO, Dr. Alan Hudson, visited each site to announce the new name and brand, one of the nurses on duty exclaimed, "Thank you for giving us back our hospital." The rebranding for University Health Network has proven to be one of the most successful health care communications programs in Canada and now serves as a best practice case study about process, tangible results and lessons learned for other organizations across the country.

OUR ROLE

Brand strategy, brand architecture, naming, identity design direction, brand-based communications

PARTNERS

Ove Design & Communications