A Branding Path to a Brighter, More Hopeful Future
Client / Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Research
Industry Sector / Healthcare
Services / Rebranding – Stakeholder engagement, research, brand strategy, naming, visual identity, brand communications planning.
Context
What does a respected organization do when its brand and name no longer fit the reality of its mandate and vision?
While Vice President branding and strategic design with the Publicis Group – Jean-Pierre Veilleux led the team in the development of a new brand positioning and visual identity for the institution colloquially known as “Whitby Psych”.
Challenges and Opportunities
The Whitby Psychiatric Hospital began its life over 90 years ago as the Ontario Hospital for the Insane, Whitby, which then became Whitby Mental Health Centre. With the devolution by the Province of Ontario of mental health hospitals, the new community-based board of directors and senior management team began the journey to transform the hospital into a leader in mental health care.
Following an extensive stakeholder consultation and strategic planning process, the hospital recognized that its name was not representative of its role as a province-wide facility with a focus on patient care, research, teaching and advocacy.
We had a very short timeline. In less than five months we worked intensely with a small team of the senior leadership while consulting with over 500 stakeholders using multiple techniques including an online forum, interviews, town halls and brand events. The results were used to produce a brand and name strategy that provided the criteria for the development of a new name for the organization and visual identity options.
Results
The new name has two parts. Ontario Shores relates to the location and to the broad province-wide catchment area. Centre for Mental Health Sciences responds to the view of mental illness as an illness with a scientific basis of study. The new name and visual identity revivified the organization. Patients, staff, board members and volunteers embraced the new name as a symbol of the future direction of the hospital. In a market research study, the new brand was viewed as more modern and innovative and the organization was viewed as prominent teaching hospital, moving mental health to the 21st century and providing excellent patient care. The new brand was also recognized through national and international awards.
