Now we know what makes us different and how to tell others.
How Mercury defined a differentiator and unified a team.
Project Overview
The Senior Director of Marketing at HealthFitness approached us wanting to refresh the design aspects of their brand to elevate their message and modernize their look and feel.
As we do with all clients, we took a step back and began with strategy first. During our first discovery call with the team from HealthFitness and their parent company, Trustmark, we uncovered something important. They all knew their “why” and they all knew how they delivered amazing service to their clients, but when it came to describing what they did – everyone had a different answer.
What? A large, successful company that doesn’t know what they do? Well, not exactly. It’s more accurate to say that each member of the team had a different way of describing what they did and the leaders each had a different product or service that they highlighted.
We discovered that in addition to their need for a refreshed, identifiable and memorable brand they also needed messaging to unify their team, build trust and create a foundation for growth. Creating clarity and alignment would be key.
Client Goals
- Align ourselves internally on our true purpose, essential value and brand identity
- Clear up market confusion on who we are, what we do and who we do it for
- Create branded documents, templates, resources and materials to be used by all teammates to provide consistency for clients
- Elevate our message and modernize our look
Project Focus
Solving this particular brand problem would rely heavily on helping to uncover the company’s essential value and gaining buy-in across the organization.
“We would not have gotten here if not for all of you and your process.”
– Candice, Senior Director, Marketing
Insights Gathering Leads to a Clear Differentiator
Insights gathering is our fancy way of saying we ask really good intriguing questions and then listen intently, with open hearts and minds. We conducted online surveys and interviews with past and present clients and team members. We listened for common threads that confirmed, challenged or clarified what leadership was saying about the company. The common thread that came through in ALL of the shared insights was that the Essential Value at HealthFitness is Care + Belonging. These simple words identify the authenticity of the company through the people that work there and the clients that utilize their services.
We also uncovered a relationship continuum that is unique to the inclusive and transparent communication style of HealthFitness.
192
hours of Brand
Discovery
Discovery
16
leaders
participating
from across the organization
participating
from across the organization
16
surveys
completed
completed
16
current and past associate
interviews
interviews
32
current & past
client interviews
client interviews
6
people forming
the design team
The essential value paired with the relationship continuum helped identify the true differentiator at Health Fitness. The people at Health Fitness have something special. Yes, they have passion for health and fitness but they also have specific support and programs available through their company that allow team members to care for their clients, participants and each other. But because the company had never given names and definitions to these programs it was difficult to gain buy-in and help the members of their organization speak the same language.
Facilitating discovery sessions with leaders and backing that information with insights from clients and team members, we were able to develop key messaging that gave everyone words to champion the brand. The messaging helped executive leaders speak confidently about the true differentiator for the company and build unity across the organization. Key messaging was then applied to their online presence, branded collateral, internal communication and all marketing and sales material. Care + Belonging is now part of the HealthFitness Brand inside and out.
