Garnet Health Rebranding to Convey a Commitment to Excellence in Healthcare

The Situation

Garnet Health, a regional healthcare system located in upstate New York formally known as Greater Hudson Valley Health System but in market under different names, had rebranded. Their ultimate goal was to unite their system in a way that represented unity, quality and healing and referenced New York State‘s official gemstone, the garnet. This bold decision tied all the system’s hospitals, medical groups, and its foundation—eleven sites in all—under the same core message of excellence.

The Challenge

Garnet Health approached BrandActive while they were still exploring name possibilities—before they had decided on the name Garnet Health. Being involved at this early juncture allowed BrandActive’s brand implementation experts to scope the costs of the project before the rebranding work had begun. The project was particularly complex as it involved a legal name change for each site as well the change to the parent company’s name, and the need to roll out the transformed brand across all branded assets, including exterior and interior signage, ID cards and badges, fleet, uniforms and more .

As a complex healthcare system comprised of hospitals, outpatient centers, physician practice locations and fundraising divisions, Garnet turned to the team at BrandActive who was instrumental in our quest to rebrand our entire organization from top to bottom. While our engagement began well over a year before we assumed a new brand name, the activation period fell upon the most challenging time in the past 100+ years – the COVID-19 pandemic. From up-front planning and strategy, to execution and follow through, BrandActive was thorough, accurate and forward-thinking which helped us successfully rebrand ourselves and continue to serve our community in their time of need. We couldn’t have done it without them.

— Executive Director, Marketing and Corporate Communications

The Solution

BrandActive’s brand implementation consultants created transition strategies with corresponding cost estimates for all branded assets. This included the most visible and expensive ones—fleet, workwear, and signage —under three different scenarios. BrandActive managed an RFP process to find the right vendors to meet Garnet Health’s needs for business cards, fleet vehicles, signage, and uniforms. These vendors followed newly created signage and fleet guidelines created by the team at BrandActive to ensure consistency and efficiency.

Throughout the process, BrandActive worked with Garnet Health’s in-house and external legal counsel to help ensure all brand work complied with regulatory requirements.

The Results

BrandActive brought structure and proven processes to Garnet Health’s brand transition program. Through our scenario planning, budget development, RFP processes, and branded asset expertise, Garnet Health saved over 10% on the total cost of their brand transition over the span of two years.