ReBrand ReView: VNS Health

Catherine Callaway, SVP, Marketing and Development at VNS Health, sat down to chat about the nonprofit organization’s rebrand. Stick around for a teardown and peek behind the curtain to see how this brand refresh went from concept to go-live. 

About the organization: For more than 130 years, VNS Health has led the way as an innovator in home and community health care. We apply our expertise, compassion, and commitment to provide and manage care for millions of individuals who want to live, age, and heal where they feel most comfortable — in their homes, connected to family and community. For more information, visit: https://www.vnshealth.org/ 

Before the rebrand

0.5% of all U.S. companies reach 100 years in business. VNS Health’s formula for success was rooted in the community—and caring for the people who lived in it. 

Being in the business of caring for 130 years, though, didn’t mean that their brand had to feel like it belonged in the past. 

“We've done website refreshes before. We always want to make sure that we're up to speed, not just with technology, but also with our look and feel,” Callaway shared. “The rebrand originally started as an internal identity project. We recognized that we were a multifaceted organization with hospice and home care service lines, as well as health plans. We're a really diverse group of services and programs, and the goal was to bring together the essence of one organization.” 

“At the time, we actually called it: ‘Project Umbrella.’ It was centered around: how do we think about ourselves as one entity, and one organization? It was only after we did a values exercise that we realized we needed to bring this to life in a way that is much more meaningful and powerful. That was actually how we decided to evaluate the notion of a rebrand,” Callaway added. 

How the brand transformed

“In total, it took more than two to three years to identify the right name, the right identity, the logos, the visuals, the colors, the warmth, and the humanity that brings to life who we are,” Callaway added. 

During that time, “we did a lot of internal and external research. We looked at the market, what other health care organizations had done in terms of rebranding, and what kind of investment it was going to take. Then, it's obviously not just a marketing investment; it's also an organizational and infrastructure investment as well.” 

To adequately capture the essence of the organization, they had to look inward by talking to their patients and other key stakeholders. “We started from the very, very nut of it with focus groups from across the organization, working with people at all levels as well as across departments. We did listening sessions with patients, caregivers, and our team members. We also looked at competitive analysis and trends, really kind of tried to understand what similar organizations were doing,” Callaway added. 

How the brand transformed: verbal identity

In healthcare, it’s easy to get caught up in trying to check all the boxes and sound like other healthcare brands. VNS Health sought to capture the essence of the company’s long-standing legacy. 

“Our differentiation—specifically in the legacy of innovation—goes all the way back to Lillian Wald, our founder. The community-based model started with her. Our mission-driven approach ties back to her, too,” Callaway added. “Our marketing team just went to see the Henry Street Settlement, which is where Wald actually began Visiting Nurse Services of New York. We went there because so much of what Wald did as the first public health nurse took place there. We are a continuation of what she did, and we are still evolving.”

“As we were thinking about other points of differentiation, we wanted to remain laser-focused on clarity, the warmth and trust, things that really are important when people are inviting us into their homes. How do we make sure that we are evolving with the times—like incorporating AI—as the healthcare landscape continues? We wanted to make sure that we're there and thinking about innovation as part of our DNA. Wald, actually partnered with Metropolitan Life Insurance Company in 1909 to integrate our services into their industrial insurance policies.” 

Bearing this legacy of innovation and collaboration in mind, “It continues, even today, in making sure that we are looking at home-based care and health care—and how it improves health outcomes, reduces hospitalization, and also delivers against making sure that we are outperforming in terms of social determinants of health. We are focused on improving the health and care of the communities that we serve. Our rebrand tied all together. The tagline we ultimately settled on was 'The Future of Care, The Comfort of Home.' So really, it encapsulates both our mission and our vision,” Callaway added. 

Let’s compare the two organization names:

“Incorporating the word ‘health’ builds clarity and encompasses our overarching mission,” Callaway added. 

Let’s build on the name by dissecting their website, before and after the rebrand. 

The new website has a much cleaner look and feel, putting their tagline front and center. The increased use of white space makes it much easier to identify what the organization does, and how people can get involved in the organization, whether they need care, want to make a referral, or to find their next career move. 

The move away from pandemic-based messaging is a sigh of relief. The body copy from the old website made it sound like they only cared for people in times of crisis. That’s definitely not the only “use case” for home-based care and services. They are often used to help people maintain independence or to avoid a health crisis situation in the first place.

This recommitment to the home and investing in the future is a much-needed, refreshing angle. The bottom part of the above-the-funnel section really seals the deal on the consumer research that VNS Health did. It’s no secret that the health care system can be complicated, but when you can have a knowledgeable, experienced partner to take on tasks for you—it’s a big help. 

Empathy, is actually one of VNS Health’s core values. Here is an excerpt from their brand guidelines.

Each of these core tenets also informs their messaging and verbal identity platform, making sure that every piece of content is:

• Empathy: Compassionate, caring, and welcoming
• Integrity: Trustworthy, honest, and respectful
• Agility: Forward-thinking, collaborative, and flexible

How the brand transformed: visual identity

During the research phase of the rebrand, it was critical for the VNS Health team that it remained person-centered. “From the outside looking in, we wanted to make sure that the rebrand reflected the communities that we care about and that it reflects people that work here. The people who work here reflect the community. And that's one of the things that's most special and unique about VNS Health: our brand is built around the idea of neighbors.”

Aligning with your audience isn’t just the right thing—it’s better for business. “Gallup research reveals that when consumers are aligned with a brand, they give it twice as much share of wallet as those who are not aligned with that same brand.”

“We are neighbors, because we're serving the people that we're living next to. The result was a name and an identity that clearly communicates who we are, and what we do. That was a big part of that transition from VNSNY to VNS Health. Because the word ‘Health’ really encapsulates so much more than just a home care organization or a hospice organization.”

And it’s not just about serving their patients and clients. It also requires buy-in from the people who are carrying out their mission every day through quality care services. “We also have more than 10,000 people acting as our daily brand ambassadors that are out there in the streets and we made sure that we were investing in giving them new uniforms and brand training so that they were proud to represent the idea of one VNS Health,” Callaway added.

Let’s look at the logos for comparison. 

“The logo is really, really important. We retained the circular element that was part of the history of VNSNY. We also retained the dark blue from our previous logo, but updated it to achieve a modern, vibrant feel. Then, our icon (the circular icon) represents not only the continuum of care, but it also represents meeting people where they're at. You'll notice in the bottom left, there's sort of like an arrow pointing in. That's really about saying ‘we're there when you need us, we're there in your journey of care or in your journey of health.’”

Healthcare brands often use hues of blue. For some, they may want to break away from the blue ocean, while others, prefer to lean in. Research from 99designs found that with healthcare providers, “blue appears in nearly 85% of all logos.” Could it be the bandwagon effect? Or, could it be that it’s also tried and true? Blue is proven to be a color that communicates trust, security, peace, and security..

“We also discussed whether we should go with the traditional blue and gold that many healthcare organizations do. What we decided on, was that we wanted something that was vibrant, warm, and captured the feeling that we want to bring into someone's home,” Callaway added.

“We wanted to be different and stand out. It was really important that the brand was redesigned from the perspective of the consumer. Most websites in this space are all about like us telling somebody else what we do.”

Beyond the consumer perspective, this rebrand was also about telling their talent brand story. “One of the most important things we do as the largest New York-based home and community-based health care organization is that we are an employer of choice. We want to make sure that people—prospective employees—know what this place is all about. We want them to be able to answer: ‘Why would I want to be a part of the VNS Health family?’” Callaway shared. 

Here’s an example of one of the ways that they activated the brand externally.

The brand’s outdoor awnings before and after the rebrand.

Lessons learned from a brand that’s withstood the test of time

To make this rebrand possible, VNS Health collaborated with strategic partners to act as an extension of their team. They worked with Tronvig Group on the strategy; Seiden Group worked on advertising; and Crispin (formerly Media Kitchen) helped with media. They also partnered with BrandActive to help with the implementation side of things. Navigating a rebrand during a pandemic was an interesting twist, but it also acted as a catalyst to put these ideas into motion. “It gave us an incredible incentive coming out of COVID to really hit the ground running in terms of aligning and getting buy-in from internal stakeholders,” Callaway added.

“It is not for the faint of heart. Make sure you have a great team underneath you in terms of sort of like all the nuts and bolts: the planning and project management,” Callaway shared. “Once you get to the external planning process, make sure you have strong brand and agency teams, it's going to be really important. You want to make sure you have a thread that pulls you through everything. For us, it was, ‘we are your neighbors.’”

“Lastly, make sure that you stay rooted to who you are, what your mission is, and what you're trying to accomplish. Listen to your consumers, team members, and your stakeholders. It's not just a change and sign, it's a sign of change. A rebrand is about how you communicate, serve, and connect. For us, it was a recommitment to our purpose, the people we serve, and an investment in our mission. Make sure that you have your stakeholders aligned, that they're ready to invest and can really make it happen.”

Feeling inspired? Watch VNS Health’s brand video: 

To learn more about VNS Health, check out their website: https://www.vnshealth.org/ 

Interested in seeing how a marketing partner can help you bring your healthcare company’s rebrand or brand vision to life? Get in touch with Jenn today.