TELUS Health has been working for over 30 years with governmental authorities, health care professionals, benefits providers and other partners in their communities with the aim of leveraging technology to improve the health experience of Canadians. To date, the company’s $3 billion plus investment in health care has benefited over 100,000 clinicians, pharmacists and associated health care providers, and over 12 million Canadians.
In addition to digital solutions for health care professionals and businesses, TELUS Health’s intent is to transform health care services across Canada’s health network. It is for this purpose that, in 2018, the company acquired Medisys Health Group (Medisys, Copeman, Horizon), a network of 16 medical clinics known and recognized from coast to coast.
TELUS Health called upon BrandBourg’s branding expertise to act as a strategic partner in developing the brand strategy for integrating Medisys Health Group within the TELUS Health brand family.
As in any merger and acquisition process, several questions arise regarding the brand name, what messages are best conveyed to internal and external audiences, and the architecture of the portfolio of products and services, which will evidently be transformed and enhanced. The integration of new employees is also one of the core concerns and an opportunity to value their particular contribution within the organization.
As part of our mandate, we supported the TELUS Health marketing team in defining the new value proposition for health care centres and the messages to be conveyed to each of its targets, including employees, whether newly integrated or current, clients and partners.
At the same time, we took part in the development of a name for the new health care centres. Given the complexity of TELUS Health’s brand ecosystem, it was necessary at the start of the journey to establish clear guidelines for creating new product and services within the organization, in order to increase agility and efficiency in its marketing strategy and to ensure consistency in the client experience. Several branding strategies and names were tested to better inform the decision in this M&A context. The final choice is both strategic for the company and attractive for the consumer.
Reflections on a name, drafting the brand positioning, developing key messages, creating a video for internal teams, creative design and ads production, developing and streamlining content for corporate brochures and services… In full outsourcing mode, our team was at the heart of the internal and external launch events for TELUS Health and their Care Centres.
TELUS Health Care Centres were officially launched in November 2020.
How important is branding at TELUS?
Brand image and branding are very important at TELUS. We are committed to improving the lives of Canadians by offering innovative, reliable and user-friendly services and solutions that are easily accessible from home, from work or in transit. Our brand image campaigns are among the most well known in Canada. We believe offering coherent, exceptional client experiences is crucial in all markets, and that starts with the brand.
What have been some of your greatest challenges in terms of branding?
With the acquisition of Medisys Health Group, we needed to create a sub-brand for a new market segment for TELUS Health, without creating an additional TELUS brand. The name had to support our TELUS Health as the brand and accelerate awareness of our contribution in the clinical world.
We needed to create a name that would be aligned with TELUS Health’s strategy, which would speak to both consumers and businesses, while positioning TELUS Health not only in the field of health services, but also as a health care provider. Changing a name can have a disruptive effect. Managing change is a reality that must be taken into account each time a name is changed.
How do you decide whether a new acquisition fits into the TELUS (or TELUS Health) strategic framework?
Our CEO, Darren Entwistle, is committed to changing the face of health care in Canada by improving Canadians’ experience in matters of health through the use of technology.
All acquisitions align with TELUS Health’s mission, and with its vision of using technology to improve the health experience and outcomes for Canadians. The acquisition of the 16 clinics that formed Medisys Health Group was a way to accelerate the deployment of this technology in the clinics, and to be able to get a clear measure of its impact on accessibility, as well as how it improves results and the client/patient experience.
“BrandBourg helped create and design the most compelling—and engaging—brand, content, messaging, ad creative, brand launch video and sales assets possible. BrandBourg delivered results that not only looked great, but helped us move our business forward. We were able to reach new clients and maintain our current business and keep a presence in their minds.”
– Kathleen Mitchell, Marketing Manager, TELUS HealthShare to your social media
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