The Heart Institute

New:  Logo (and shortened formal name)

Launched:  October 14, 2009

Story in brief:
This modest case history highlights two driving elements of a game-changing rebranding:  a passionate leader with a global vision, and a world-class identity designer.

Just eight years ago, heart surgeon Dr. Joseph McGinn organized The Heart Institute of Staten Island, initially to serve residents of New York City's smallest borough. He also pioneered the micro-surgery technology called MICS-CABG ("mix cabbage"), for "Minimally Invasive Cardio Surgery -Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting,"  and set out to teach it worldwide. The Institute soon became one of the most prestigious heart care facilities in the nation.  But increasingly, McGinn felt "of Staten Island" to be a distraction to the mission, if not a barrier. " Like many physicians," Dr. McGinn told me, "I don't like having to promote or 'market' what I do – but I saw the need, because we are doing something successful that is done almost nowhere else, and if we were going to get recognition we would have to do marketing."  Richard Clarke, his advertising agent, recognized a branding opportunity that transcended mere name adjustment, and introduced designer Roger van den Bergh.

In diagrams of the flow of blood, heart to lungs and back again, Roger found a graphically beautiful alternative to Valentine imagery (or to the formless lump of a dissected heart) -- a picture, in effect, of the benefits of a healthy heart. To McGinn, Roger's "abstract styles and colorations" represented "the cutting edge technology we like to present to the public. Everyone saw it immediately, that this is about the future and not about the past.

"Everyone is in awe of the new branding. It’s had a huge impact on our own people, who now feel that we’re catering to the world, we’re delivering services that no other place can do. We all knew we did that, but now it’s official. Not only for the staff here but also for the patients, who now feel they are coming to a world-class institution, something internationally recognized."

"For us, the main benefits of rebranding have been
-  to give us credibility,
-  to give our staff a bit of a boost,
-  and to give us an incentive to rally around this name, this logo, to   continue to create the institution around this concept.

"We knew we had something here, but this [rebranding] will help keep us moving in the right direction."

 

Credits:
C.E.O. - Joseph McGinn, MD
Identity counsel - Rich Clarke, Clarke Advertising
Identity design - Roger van den Bergh, Onoma

First Impressions:
Strategy:  In addition to teaching MICS-CABG to surgeons, Dr. McGinn should teach Corporate Identity 101 at the Harvard Business School
Design:  Exceptionally elegant

Corporate Brand Matrix ratings:  
0% structural,  100% strategic,  0% functional (est.)