The 360° Degree Solution
Situation Analysis: How do you convey your company’s unique value proposition to Wall Street? Typically security analysts have strong industry knowledge, and ready access to an organization’s public data. What is missing is the “why behind the what.” Often for organizations that do not fit the typical business model – and in today’s disruptive marketplace, few do – Wall Street needs help creating a concise, accurate evaluation. So instead of presenting endless numbers and PowerPoint slides at Investor Day in New York, we created a unique user-driven experience, streamlining Premier’s story and using sticky messaging. The industry change-agent’s story was told in three parts:
Part 1: The first portion included a preliminary video and executive team introduction to showcase breadth and depth. Next the chief executive officer’s presentation focused on the 360 degree standalone niche. The chief operating officer’s talk and video drove home how Premier’s entrepreneurial DNA is fueling high quality care at the lowest possible cost.
Part 2: This second part of the meeting gave analysts a firsthand look at how Premier is fast-tracking solutions with healthcare systems. Three sets of panelists brought each case study to life, answering questions regarding the challenges they face and the benefits of partnership. Before each case study, the lights went down and a 30-second bumper video previewed the next segment while one set of panelists entered and the other existed the stage.
Part 3: The final segment included an economic outlook with industry insights followed by the chief financial officer’s business case overview. To conclude the event, a summary annual report was distributed as a takeaway to drive home key points.
Due to the culture/brand messages that Premier was trying to convey for this fiscal year, we chose a multi-channel route for the annual report. The relatively new public persona helped define the target audiences and three key purposes: investor meeting takeaway; inbound and outbound recruiting tool; and annual employee conference handout. The latter aided employees, as grassroots ambassadors, hone their company elevator speeches.
During the annual report concept and creation we focused first on what would work well on screen -- HTML, PDF, print, iPad app and mobile optimized versions -- rather than approaching it as a ready-to-print document that would be converted to HTML. The digital annual report uses an infographic style with straightforward, easy to share vital points. Visitors to the site can be tracked along with the length of time they stay and how far they scroll. Content created for this use also could be repurposed through social media and email marketing to reach more diverse audiences. The cost of the new multimedia annual was produced at a fraction of the cost – a mere 13 percent of what was paid for the prior year's print-only version. Access the microsite at https://www.premierinc.com/2015/
Breakthroughs: Leading Industry/Customer Summit
How can you stay ahead of the curve in an industry that is constantly evolving? That is a question most organizations try to answer on behalf of their customers. For Premier, it is a question they are striving to answer for nearly three-quarters of health systems nationwide. Their diverse customer base has complex buying behaviors. To further partnership and inspire overall healthcare transformation, Premier invites customers annually to an industry-leading summit where they can learn more about the latest medical trends and advancements, further their professional growth and build relationships.
In 2016, Premier's Breakthroughs event placed less emphasis on pushing out information and more focus on providing a holistic experience of "must-haves" for the customer. This included industry-leading business intelligence; targeted break-out sessions; and emerging technology previews.
Change sparks new ideas, bridges cultures and awakens innovation. With the goal of inspiring transformation and fresh perspectives, the new multidimensional communications team brainstormed a fresh event look and feel. State-of-the-art multimedia and staging, all created internally, yielded a powerful immersive experience. The cost? A 48 percent reduction from the prior year.
At the four-day event, healthcare professionals have the opportunity to network with some of the nation’s best and brightest while attending continuing educational sessions, learning about the latest innovations in healthcare and more. Thousands are together, in one place, discussing pain points, sharing best practices and working together to implement change.
The chief executive officer and chief operating officer are always keynote speakers at Breakthroughs. Each year, we created intro and concluding videos tailored to their speeches and overall personas.
Thought leadership + ROI. Mutually exclusive terms? No longer. Content had been generated for stakeholders in diverse ways since Premier went public in 2013. Customers often could not find what they needed, however, and there was limited opportunity for engagement and lead generation. Premier, the publicly traded company, wanted a dynamic content marketing system. Today, thanks to the content hub, all content – social, blog articles, infographics, videos, eBooks, whitepapers, etc. -- is aggregated. Tailored content experiences are created, managed and optimized for every stage of the buyer journey. And the integration of content, analytics, social media and marketing automation ensures a strong return on investment.
Instead of sending visitors links to a single destination, dead-end location, the user's experience is customized, using a dynamic Premier content marketing system that offers interactivity and opportunities for engagement. Stakeholders are shown the right content at the right time through curated, targeted information streams. These topic streams have unique URLs that immerse a user in relevant content and drive lead generation through calls to action.
Telling the story in a consistent way. Simplifying the message. Defining the Premier difference. While the messaging architecture was still in development, Premier needed a consistent way to describe the organization. The two-part collateral plan included a generalized overview for stakeholders – prospective customers to employees – and a capability brochure that gave a more drilled-down understanding of our products and services.
As a private company, Premier had hosted an annual meeting for its healthcare system board members, and they in turn, invited their hospital board members for a unique training opportunity. As a public company, Premier wanted to rethink and retool the meeting’s format to spur participation. What if this could become a forum for thought leadership for industry movers and shakers? That is exactly the focus used by the new Premier communications team for the signature invitation-only event targeted to senior executives. It provided industry-leading business intelligence vital to their organizations and the health of our nation.
The internal team worked within the existing budget to develop a new higher-end look and feel for the Governance event. The target persona was the chief executive officer.
The logo, identity, environmental design, collateral, video, motion graphics, stage design and onsite production support were designed to convey an upscale user experience.
The rapidly evolving competitive landscape requires corporations to reshape themselves quickly. Employees, every organization's lifeblood, are integral to the change management process. This was certainly true for Premier. The organization had reached a crossroads after going public and acquiring over nine new companies. Roadmap 2020 was launched to position Premier for future growth. To ensure its overall effectiveness, the company wanted to make sure employees understood the initiative's desired outcomes. A communications plan with a three-month timeline was used to heighten understanding and gain buy-in among employees.
In early spring 2016, Premier had reached a defining moment. It was time to unveil initial findings from RoadMap2020 to employees through a comprehensive communications plan which included videos, digital signage, photography, speech, visuals, staging and a call-to-action campaign. The goal: dovetailing messaging regarding where the process stood at both the spring and summer quarterly employee meetings, then sharing a holistic wrap-up at the annual all-employee Values conference.
The internal team designed and executed a unique invitation to the in-person and virtual quarterly meeting. The goal: piquing interest and generating excitement among team members about the Roadmap 2020 initiative, and the role that each would play in determining the future of the company.
Typically employees would enter a normal conference room. Due to the importance of the meeting, the backdrop, lighting and overall room setup -- all designed and executed by the internal team --enhanced the dramatic quality of the moment. The cost for the meeting including all production enhancements and transmission was a mere eight percent of what had been paid for transmission alone in prior meetings.
Employees were asked to define what Premier is to them using an interactive web component. Their answers were used to create posters and digital signage through an ongoing marketing campaign. Employees felt heard and assured of the critical role they would play in defining Premier’s future.
Smart, agile employees are essential to Premier, and so is a holistic employee communication program. Historically, a weekly, print-focused tool, Monday Minutes, had been a linchpin of this program. But the return on investment had begun to be questioned. There was a perceived ineffectiveness due to the length and tone of the articles. The format limited the ability to track overall engagement, and the publication required two fulltime employees for production. The new communications team tackled this issues as one of its first initiatives. The goal: increase relevance, boost readership and heighten overall return on investment.
The communique was shifted to a digital-first format with a biweekly distribution. The revamped design focused on bite-sized chunks of information the employee could use and apply. This shift permitted the greater communications team to share responsibility for content development. The three key sections include a checklist of action items; a word-of-mouth story which showcases Premier in the news; and a did-you-know article which outlines industry highlights. The outcome: open rates and read rates eliminated guesswork when it came to measuring returns on investment and resource utilization.
Think of your inbox as a danger zone. At least temporarily. That was the goal of Premier's cybersecurity team. They wanted a clever, visually compelling campaign that would sound the hacking alarm. Using a multichannel approach -- posters, digital signage, intranet, MondayMinutes -- the messaging drove home the need for Premier's employees to actively defend the network.
Premier helps protect the health information for millions of Americans. How could they inspire their team to become a human firewall? After all, as many as 70 percent of malicious emails are opened by recipients and 50 percent of the web links are clicked, putting companies and data at significant risk.
Posters were placed at entry/exit points and collaborative spaces throughout Premier's facilities nationwide. The message was reinforced with ongoing digital signage as well as an extensive internal communication campaign.
The goal: to make people stop, think and act a little differently, thanks to a thought-provoking campaign which piqued their interest.
What if simple came naturally. Dreaming big was expected. And taking smart risks was instinctive. That was the "what if" message delivered to Premier employees at the quarterly all-hands meeting. Rapid growth and a newly public persona had made it difficult for grassroots employees to describe the company in a clear, unified way. Executives invited team members to kick off the simplification process at this meeting. The Five-Word Challenge included video, speeches, a question-and-answer session, and a final interactive challenge. The chief executive officer asked employees to send in a five-word or less description of the company. Two-thirds of employees responded.
Inspire. Engage. Imagine. Annually, Premier brings its 2,000+ employees from all across America to a signature summit event. The goal is to inspire a culture of innovation; to engage individuals in new ways to improve their respective communities nationwide; and to imagine the possibilities of what can be achieved together. This was particularly important in 2016 after a series of mergers and an organizational restructure. The three primary areas of emphasis followed the theme.
1. Remembering the Why Behind the What: Sometimes it can be easy to get lost in daily work and lose sight of the big picture. Olympic figure skater and cancer-survivor, Scott Hamilton, shared his inspiring story and his experience with the healthcare system from a patient perspective, reminding employees of the why behind the what.
The vision for the future was shared in presentations by the chief executive officer and chief operating officer and followed by a panel discussion with the executive team. To keep energy up throughout the event, the main speakers had tailored videos and interactive portions that preceded and concluded their speeches.
Prior to the chief executive's speech, employees participated in a thought-provoking activity. The objective was to have employees reframe what they might think of as just a job into something of a calling. What looked and sounded like a digitized survey surrounded them on screens. Employees were asked yes or no questions and asked to answer affirmatively with their cell phone flashlights. The questions started simply but grew more serious and concluded with "Have you ever saved someone's life?" Light filled the room when all realized that what they were doing daily was transforming healthcare one life at a time.
2. Breakout Sessions
Premier’s mission as an organization is to improve the health of communities. Employees learned firsthand just how they are doing that through rotating breakout sessions where each segment of the business was explained through video, hands-on demonstrations and moderated panel discussions. This was followed by a mass onsite volunteer effort.
3. Building a 360° Organization: Silos can be commonplace in corporate America today. Now more than ever it is important to break them down. That was the genesis of Premier 360°. Four 20-25 minute panel sessions took place with Wall Street analysts, diverse customers, small to large suppliers, and short- and long-term employees. This portion of the event gave the Premier team a holistic view of the organization.
Every aspect of the event -- designed and produced by the Premier communications team -- had multiple applications and intentionally reinforced another portion of the meeting. For example, colorful divider pages in the event notebook asked thought-provoking questions like "Imagine a healthcare sytem that______." Employees posted their answers on designated boards which were then used as part of the social campaign.
The communications team underscored the impact of the event with an ongoing digital marketing campaign with strong social media.
Effectiveness and efficiency are fundamental to a nonprofit, particularly those engaged in ministry. A communications system maximizes limited resources and ensures that a well-intended special interest group does not become the "tail that wags the dog." This was certainly true of Myers Park Presbyterian. The vibrant organization wanted to achieve better, more strategic results. Member focus groups were conducted to gauge the effectiveness of communications, to identify tool preferences, and to assess internal and external perceptions. The consensus: a comprehensive communication system was needed to raise awareness of mission and vision, overcome white noise among members and reduce costs.
The new multi-tiered communication system included a printed weekly call-to-action piece, Serve & Grow; a digital midweek newsletter with time-sensitive opportunities, Connect; a quarterly informational planning tool, Engage; a triannual strategic magazine focused on the organization's broader mission and vision, Journey; a daily blog, Equip; revamped websites; and a mobile app. Double-digit savings included a 62 decrease in the magazine's cost and an 83 percent reduction in the weekly communique.
Hit or miss. That is the way Myers Park felt about overall engagement. Great activities were planned but participation was spotty. The big disconnect identified by the focus groups was lead time. Members of the church liked to plan ahead. Ministries tended to operate on a much shorter runway. Thanks to a new digital system developed by the communications team, major events could be entered along with descriptions by the ministry on a quarterly basis. They could then be edited, automatically downloaded into the template and color coded by ministry. The synopsis was publicized quarterly in print, on the digital flat screens, on the website and via social channels. It was a win/win for both sides.
Storytelling is the new strategic imperative. It drives engagement and results. Why? People are inspired by, and want to hear, other people's stories. This was the basis for Journey, a quarterly magazine, designed to foster awareness of Myers Park Presbyterian's mission and vision. The goal was to move people from passive to active roles. From member to ministry. This iPad edition, developed completely internally, has enriched media content accessible via embedded QR codes.
A digital version of this magazine can be viewed at the link below.
What exactly is a change agent? A catalyst who asks the right questions and leads by example. Change agent DNA is deeply embedded in the people of Myers Park Presbyterian, so this issue focuses on individuals of all ages who recognized a need and did something about it.
A digital version of this magazine can be viewed at the link below.
https://issuu.com/myersparkpres/docs/140506-journey-final-issue
Imagine a choir member with robes flying riding on a moped. Fun, thought-provoking imagery (see page 27) was a signature characteristic of Journey. The magazine's editorial and design focus refuted any misperceptions external audiences had that the organization was stodgy. Much thought and time was given to concepting and capturing images that would pique interest and spur engagement.
A digital version of this magazine can be viewed at the link below.
What is it like to admit that you do not have all the answers? To share a time when you experienced real doubts? To reveal your vulnerabilities? This Journey edition exemplified the editorial focus -- creating compelling content that engages and moves the audience to action. Content that can then be repurposed in email messages, videos and social media posts. Content that will be seen by more people, further the mission and enhance brand.
A digital version of this magazine can be viewed at the link below.
https://issuu.com/myersparkpres/docs/2015_winter_journey_12.24_final-iss
Ordinary people. Extraordinary impact. Since a major goal of Journey was inspiring people to engage and move forward, every article typically included a call to action. Annually, however, one issue included a full index of service opportunities. This index also was created as a standalone tool to accompany the holistic Every Member Has a Ministry campaign -- a campaign which included videos, digital signage, web banners, e-mail, snail-mail and social channels.
A digital version of this magazine can be viewed at the link below.
Video was a tool that ensured Myers Park's Googler and Gutenberger members both received content that sparked their interest. Furthering our internal resources meant designing with the end result in mind. In this example, the initial computer animation grabbed interest immediately. This presented two options: using the short stand-alone portion as a tool for members who needed to share a quick overview with the outside community, and using the video in its entirety for internal audiences as part of the Every Member Has a Ministry campaign.
The Instagram challenge was yet another interactive exercise designed to showcase service impact, inspire engagement and boost social media participation. A comprehensive campaign -- digital signage, website, print and social -- reminded members to post a photograph that "shows us what inspires and personifies ministry in your eyes." Members followed the gallery build and were able to see their work in total through the ministry@myersparkpres video (next item).
The Instagram challenge was initially introduced in Journey, and reinforced with an integrated campaign. Once again to further the investment of time and resources, a video was created that could capture the groundswell of response. The images were dropped into an Instagram frame to give them a parallel look and feel. The video intro and conclusion reinforce the ongoing mission and vision of the organization, reminding members that an ordinary person can be used to do extraordinary things.
Nearly 2.6 million people now have mobile devices within arm’s reach at all times, and 90 percent of those individuals spend their mobile time in apps. Mobile apps strengthen your brand, engage your target audience, and foster trust. Sticky apps also tie to daily habits and are available 24/7, demonstrating why users should trust you by showing, rather than telling, what personifies your brand. This was the broader rationale for the development of Myers Park Presbyterian’s mobile app. Since Charlotte tops the nation in millennial growth, a more specific reason was providing another way of reaching this younger demographic.
Raising money to support a mission is a process that never ends. There is a constant push/pull for nonprofits to acquire new donors while nurturing existing relationships. Afterall, the donor attrition rate averages 54 percent, according to the Urban Institute/Association of Fundraising Professionals. So what is the best way for a 501(c)(3) to cultivate repeat donors? A multifaceted communication strategy that conveys gratitude, encourages volunteer engagement, offers candid financial insights, and provides personal interaction.
The best donor communication capitalizes on what makes an organization unique. That was the basis for this annual campaign. Myers Park Presbyterian is a true "cradle-to-grave" organization. An unprecedented six generations, each with special gifts and needs, are growing and serving alongside one another in one place.
Highly different worldviews provided Myers Park with unique challenges and opportunities from a programming, communications and giving perspective. The multidimensional campaign – print, digital, video, social – celebrated the value and necessity of all to further the organization's legacy.
The campaign raised awareness about the unique characteristics and life experiences of each generation, and the extraordinary opportunity it afforded them as a community to partner together. The Six Generations campaign was one of six, $5 million+ annual campaigns which met or exceeded their goals.
It has been said "we make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give." How do you bring that point to life with no budget and little time? Tenacity and ingenuity. The furniture was borrowed, the equipment was rented and duct tape was used liberally to create this Apples and Assets video by our three-person team. The videos were the cornerstone of a phased Why Here, Why Now? campaign that included print, digital/social, web, in-person and social media components. The net result: commitments exceeded the $5 million+ goal.
Define commitment. Is it enough to be a member in name only or is there really a need to do more? That was the elephant in the room addressed directly by this campaign: clarifying what it means to commit. Driving home the need to give and serve. And bringing the very real results of commitment to life.
The Commit campaign empowered donors and helped them see they were difference-makers in the face of need. They saw how they were changing lives in partnership with their Myers Park community. The desired outcome was achieved and this $5 million+ annual campaign reached its goal.
A mustard seed is nearly microscopic, yet that amount of faith can move mountains. The multi-phased A Deeper Discipleship capital campaign had a $30 million goal – a third of which went to local and global outreach. The can-do congregation made and honored its commitment over a five-year period during the throes of a financial recession. Clear, consistent communications – multimedia, print, digital – reminded members of what was being accomplished and helped the organization reach its unprecedented target.
Seconds turn into minutes. Minutes into hours. Hours into days. The quest for clean water food and a safe place to sleep is an endless quest for millions around the world. We developed the Myers Park Presbyterian alternative giving campaign with a twofold purpose: personalize the need and call people to action. Since the organization had hands-on ministries in six countries, we used a problem/solution approach for each nation. This gave the potential donors context and provided them with a range of gift items – shovels to roofing materials – that would meet immediate needs. The proactive print and digital campaign doubled overall contributions and increased active engagement among all age groups.
From the heart. That expression describes the family-like atmosphere of the preventive cardiology center, and served as the catalyst for the first-ever Hearts!Up Toast. Dot!Line conducted surveys of the patient base, gained insights into their journey and took pictures. We then excerpted this information into a photographic diorama which personalized and transformed the space from an exercise venue into a gala location. Our work included branding the event, creating invitations and creating event decor that drove mission and vision.
Winning cultures have organizational clarity around their vision and values. They do things differently. They spend time and energy on their hiring practices. And they want the world to know about it – especially recruits. Is there a way to help make that connection? That was the question asked by Premier. The organization had a big mission, but felt many prospective employees, especially millennials, were overlooking it as a potential employer.
The company's complex messaging and traditional look and feel seemed at odds with its mission and vision. Prospective employees found it confusing. Was there a way to link the company’s vision and values that would appeal to a recruit’s heart (emotionally) and mind (logically)?
After interviewing recruiters, interns and potential employees, a full-fledged campaign was developed that did just that. It combined print, social, digital and video as well as tradeshow booths and takeaways.
The holistic effort set the bar at “wow” to delight recruits at every turn, knowing their experience could be formed deliberately or left to chance.
Creating targeted ways to nurture and grow high performers is a top priority for all organizations. While it has been an ongoing emphasis at Premier, the need to do more grew in 2015. One specific group that Premier wanted to cultivate was its women executives. How could they do more to help this group influence key decisions, create change and co-create a culture that supports the growth of self, team and the organization? This was the genesis of On Pointe, a program designed specifically to accomplish these objectives.
The holistic initiative was branded as On Pointe: the combination alludes to “on point” which means serving as a key player and “en pointe” which refers to a ballet technique that looks ethereal but requires extreme athleticism. Two separate groups were identified for participation based on overall performance and ability. All participants received a kickoff event invitation with a petal envelope that unfolded to reveal the square invite.
The kickoff event included question-and-answer sessions with the chief executive officer and senior vice president of people. The two executives explained the initiative and its desired outcomes. The session also included a workshop on six key ways to rethink leadership in today's business world delivered by managing partners of Flynn Heath Holt.
Each kickoff luncheon attendee received a copy of Break Your Own Rules with a tailored Premier slipcover.
Twenty high performers were singled out for a special program which included leadership assessments, 360° feedback, executive coaching, peer mentoring groups, group skill development sessions and participation in workshops that included internal and external experts. Invitations to their introductory session were nested in boxes and hand delivered.
The goal of this initiative was to recognize the future leaders of the organization. While the program itself was a significant investment by the corporation, Premier wanted the leaders to feel personally recognized. The takeaway for the high performers was a wooden box, individualized for each woman, with some inspiring contents.
The box contained a copy of Break Your Own Rules, authored by the seminar leaders, for the select participants to pass on to a deserving team member. The other gift items were handcrafted by women globally who are working to make the world a better place.
Nonprofits and corporations agree on the value of community. Advancing positive change. Multiplying collective impact. Deepening partnerships with local, national and global neighbors. Their approaches, however, can be quite different. This dichotomy is demonstrated by Myers Park Presbyterian, the fourth largest church in its denomination, and Premier, a publicly-traded company. Myers Park members comprise the city's top leaders. In addition to their national ties, they have active outreach partnerships in five countries -- Cuba, Malawi, Congo, Hungary and El Salvador. Meanwhile, in the corporate arena, Premier is striving to transform America's healthcare, one person and one community at a time.
While self-reported religious belief remains high among Americans, affiliation and participation has declined. Yet attendance still surges on Easter and Christmas. Some churches may look skeptically at those who turn out infrequently. Not Myers Park. This thought-provoking digital marketing campaign was designed to pique additional interest and turn preconceived ideas about success in a new direction.
Basketball and win/loss records are serious business in North Carolina. This was especially true for Charlotte during the "non-Hornets" interval. It provided an apt analogy for this video which was sent out as a weekly sermon follow-up.
In keeping with the ongoing desire to help Myers Park Presbyterian members grow in their faith, weekly chapel services were held during the period leading up to Easter. The following video was distributed to members along with an invitation to send it to a colleague or neighbor they would like to invite.
Annually Premier honors community agencies and health organizations that support people excluded from, or underserved, by the mainstream health delivery system. Hundreds submit applications for the Premier Cares Award. Finalists are honored for their social responsibility initiatives at the company's governance conference.
Prior to the communications team restructure, an outside agency was contracted to create five to seven full-length finalists videos. A film team was flown to each site at great expense. The videos were quite long, used only at the banquet, and typically exceeded the attention span of the audience.
Thanks to the new communication team's capabilities, shorter, more conceptual videos were created onsite. They not only kept the audience's attention, they netted a $70,000 cost saving.
Creating a springboard for two-way communication. Helping individuals know, grow and live their faith. Broadening awareness of the mission and vision of Myers Park Presbyterian. These reasons spurred the creation of Equip, a blog with 12 contributors that had new, original articles produced daily. During its initial seven-months, 205 articles were published and 14,501 people in 65 countries viewed its content. To view the blog, go to http://myersparkpresequip.wordpress.com.
The issues facing our communities and world seem overwhelming. What can one person really do? Plenty. The goal of the 10-month Face of Discipleship campaign was to communicate how individuals working together can tackle the big issues, the screaming headlines. Each month a different global topic such as homelessness, hunger or clean water was featured. Poster-sized images of hands-on service were placed in the worship areas; personal impact videos were created; and dedicated features were written for digital and traditional publication. In addition to increasing awareness and overall participation, people reported being inspired to give back in ways they never thought possible.
Stakeholders often try to fit change neatly into a good, bad or ugly box. The primary question: "What's in it for me?" That is why strategic logic and a strong communications strategy are vital to the success of any systemic change management process. It is essential to prioritize targets in the pre-announce planning, develop key messages, and formalize timelines and deliverables. From announce and then onward to the post-announce period, a master strategy must assess the pros and cons from each impacted stakeholder's perspective as well as the expected challenges.
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Moving from product to corporate branding requires shifting from marketing/communications activities to organization-wide, brand-based initiatives. Aligning a company’s deeply-held beliefs, identity and culture with its brand or image to the outside world is essential. So is passing the sincerity sniff test both internally and externally. At Premier, we defined five ways to drive organizational effectiveness and eight initiatives that would begin uniting culture to brand.
To drive outcomes, five items took precedence: connecting marketing to the business strategy; inspiring the organization by engaging all levels with the brand purpose; focusing people on a few key priorities; organizing agile, cross-functional teams starting with the communications team; and building internal capabilities. The culture/brand alignment included comprehensive recruiting, investor and leadership development initiatives.
The marriage of brand and culture is no longer a nice-to-have in the corporate world. Customers want to work with, and employees want to work for, an organization that stands for something that matters. At Premier, defining subjective and objective variables included evaluating best practices among organizations noted for culture excellence, combining it with organizational assessment, and partnering with the executive team to evaluate existing cultural and improvement needs.
Cutting costs. Boosting revenue. Synergies. These are all reasons given to justify a price premium in a merger or acquisition. Just combine a few computer systems, merge a few departments and 1 + 1 = 3, right? Two-thirds of the time, the answer is no. A master strategy for mergers and acquisitions includes assessing the expected challenges from every angle. Vetting potential questions and formalizing a multi-stakeholder message map. And nailing down the core team who will bring the deal to a successful conclusion. Who should be brought into the tent? Who will serve as business lead, integration lead and deal lead? Who will socialize the message with Wall Street based on materiality? The reality is the more tangible and specific you can make the transaction on the front end, the more successful outcomes it will yield for the organization and its shareholders.
An essential component to an acquisition is getting employees on board. Teams from both sides are likely to experience fear and uncertainty. This can lead to business disruptions and negative morale. At Premier, which undertook 11 acquisitions in three years, detailed communication plans and message maps were developed with a strong emphasis on employees. The planning included face-to-face question and answer sessions in small and large groups, as well as ongoing written and digital communications.
The Why Premier? video was shown at employee kickoff meetings with a threefold purpose: answer basic questions about Premier; get them excited about the overall mission and vision; and dispel any misperceptions.
How do you nurture “intrapreneurs”? These are individuals or groups of individuals who explore high-risk, high-reward ideas within the safety and support of a larger, well-established corporate structure. The multidimensional thinkers thrive in a loose, agile team with support from senior management. Yet many organizations maintain highly-matrixed structures and limit employees to a single contribution. Premier questioned if there was a better way.
This question fueled the corporate communications restructure. Home to one-half of the marketing division – the brand side -- communications maintained a tactically-focused team who operated in one-dimensional roles and relied heavily on outside contractors. There was a strong need to have multidimensional talent inside the organization who had a more comprehensive understanding of the culture/brand and could drive a holistic experience for stakeholders. Within six months the team had been transformed, brand was strengthened and operational costs were lowered by $1.2 million.
How do you differentiate yourself in the minds of your stakeholders? Afterall, a successful brand is a mark of integrity and promise of intrinsic value. It has attributes that give your organization a favorable reputation. That is why the physical space used to conduct business should be an intuitive brand experience.
After Myers Park Presbyterian’s facility renovation, the physical environment conveyed an unintended message. It lacked warmth and revealed little about what made the church family unique. Working with a team of representative stakeholders – members, employees, vendors and the community – we defined the organization’s key messages and how to impart them through space animation.
It was essential to the working team that the installation be non-permanent and have no budgetary impact. The resulting three-dimensional branding accomplished its goals. Members and visitors on the main and auxiliary wellness campus are reminded of the organization's purpose in a personal, memorable way.