MEdical Center at Princeton Unveils New Brand Identity, Changes Name to Reflect Range of Services, The

Mercer Business, Jul 01, 2003

The Medical Center at Princeton is building a new brand identity - one that better reflects its position as a leading healthcare network providing a full spectrum of services for the community.

With a new name, Princeton HealthCare System, a new logo and a message of "Redefining Care," the 450-bed health system has solidified its status as a provider of world-class healthcare services that include acute inpatient and outpatient hospital care, behavioral healthcare, acute rehabilitation and nursing care, home care, a same-day surgical center and a fitness and wellness center.

"Our new name better conveys the comprehensive range of healthcare and wellness services we provide to our central New Jersey communities," says Barry S. Rabner, president and chief executive officer of Princeton HealthCare System. "This new structure more fully recognizes the many entities that constitute our system of caring, and communicates the full range of services that we offer within the same system."

In another historic move, the hospital, which has been a leading community teaching hospital for more than 30 years, has become the University Medical Center at Princeton. This reflects an expanded agreement with the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, which makes the University Medical Center at Princeton a University Hospital Affiliate of the state's prestigious medical school. Through this tighter bond, the medical center expands its existing relationship with the medical school in undergraduate and graduate medical education as well as clinical research.

To build its brand identity, the organization's management team turned to the community, trustees, physicians and staff.

"By encouraging input from our key audiences, we were able to better understand community members' views on what makes us special and separates us from other healthcare providers," says Carol Norris, vice president of Marketing and Public Affairs with Princeton HealthCare System. "Our brand builds on those perceptions and emphasizes our very personal approach to caring, a theme that consistently emerged throughout our research."

According to Rabner, there are large teaching hospitals that are recognized as having a wide scope of service and providing sophisticated care and then there are nonteaching hospitals that are recognized for providing personal service. But not many hospitals marry both concepts successfully and that is where Princeton HealthCare System stands out.

Executives worked closely with one of New Jersey's leading branding firms, Trajectory, based in Morristown, NJ, to develop Princeton HealthCare System's brand. It includes the descriptive phrase that emerged from their research, "Redefining Care," a new logo (a bold P with a heart in the center symbolizing its ties to the community and its compassionate approach to caring) and a unified naming system for its family of services.

The results: Princeton Hospital is now University Medical Center at Princeton, reflecting its unique status as a teaching institution and a community hospital.

Princeton House changed to Princeton House Behavioral Health, reflecting its position as a national leader in the provision of compassionate and innovative behavioral healthcare services to meet the differing needs of adults, adolescents, women and seniors

Merwick has become Merwick Rehab Hospital & Nursing Care to better communicate its status as a provider of highly specialized acute inpatient rehabilitation services for those recovering from orthopedic procedures, stroke, amputation and other complex injuries and illnesses. Merwick is also a provider of exceptional nursing care and has received a perfect score of 100 on the New Jersey Report Card for Nursing Homes.

The Home Care Department and Hospice Program have emerged as Princeton HomeCare Services, which reflects the comprehensive range of in-home medical care and support services that it provides through 88,000 home visits each year.

Princeton Ambulatory Surgery Center is now the Princeton Surgical Center, which offers excellent same-day surgical care delivered by a team of board certified surgeons and anesthesiologists and highly skilled nurses.

The Medical Center at Princeton Foundation is Princeton HealthCare System Foundation. It is a vital source of support, helping to improve the system's capabilities and the quality of care provided to the communities.

Princeton Fitness & Wellness Center, an affiliate of University Medical Center at Princeton, offers state-of-the-art fitness and wellness services and advances the system's mission to promote healthy living. The Center celebrated its grand opening in May.

With Princeton HealthCare System's identity clearly defined, focus has now shifted to promoting the brand to Central New Jersey communities through a fully integrated public awareness and marketing campaign.

The campaign combines a series of print, radio and billboard advertisements with the theme of "Building On..." to promote the broad array of accomplishments that support Princeton HealthCare System's delivery of exceptional clinical care. The advertisements were developed by centering in on Princeton HealthCare System's key strengths: an accomplished medical staff that has the highest percentage of board certified physicians in New Jersey; excellent clinical care through affiliations with UMDNJ - Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and The Cancer Institute of New Jersey; proven clinical outcomes and patient satisfaction, including exceptional independent ratings for obstetrics and orthopedics; and use of the latest technologies including the most advanced diagnostic and treatment tools for fighting cancer and the most advanced materials for rebuilding joints.