Brand resonance refers to the connection a consumer has with a brand and their ability to recall it during consumption. It’s the reason behind all the branding efforts a business conducts, and the concept extends to the healthcare industry. It is essential to large healthcare facilities as many depend on hefty donations to keep operations running and up to date. This is especially relevant for non-profit run organizations that solely depend on charitable contributions. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital (St. Jude) is an organization dedicated to leading research focused on advancing the cure to childhood cancer. They have leveraged the concept of brand resonance to generate annual revenue of 1.87 billion dollars.
Below I’ll breakdown the four steps of branding that lead to achieving brand resonance.
Brand Salience
Brand salience is the prominence a brand has in the mind of a consumer while they’re considering to purchase a product or service. During this stage, brands try to cast a wide net and push substantial brand awareness efforts. The consumer then begins to identify the brand with its particular product category. St. Jude does this with its media campaigns on television, radio, print, and streaming services. Smaller donation charity events are also used to get the brand recognized by more significant amounts of consumers like the Thanks and Giving Campaign that mass retailers patriciate in. Customers can donate $1.00 at the time of check out at stores like Best Buy or Home Goods.
Performance and Imagery
During the performance and imagery stage, brands are set out to communicate their points of parity and differences. They express how they are similar to others in the product category but also point how they are different from their competitors. This step helps consumers understand what their personal meaning of the brand is. The reliability, values, and visual brand elements all contribute to this stage of the branding process. The St. Jude logo has become one to prompt a feeling of trust and a sense of accountability to sick children. This has been proven by its Harris Poll Equitrend ranking as the top nonprofit brand of 2019.
Judgment and Feelings
The judgment and feelings phase is where the brand tries to establish a positive reaction to the brand. The quality and creditability of a company are key factors as a consumer begins to respond to the brand. Feelings are formed, and one starts to consider the brand when they are in the purchasing stage for the product category. St. Jude uses celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Sofia Vergara to give a creditability factor to the brand in its media campaigns.
Brand Resonance
When a brand is focused on brand resonance, it tries to achieve active loyalty from its consumers. At this point, a consumer has built a relationship with the brand by joining the brand community, whether online, attending events, or through purchasing products or services. St. Jude sees its community engage with them through active participation in charity events like Math-a-ons held at schools or by choosing to donate to the cause.
St Jude excels through positioning itself as a leading research facility dedicated to saving children with cancer by providing free care for those in need. The brand has become a model of excellence for other non-profit healthcare brands. However, all brands can take a step back and appreciate the strategies leveraged in the fight against childhood cancer.
If you haven’t yet, read my latest blog on the difference between brand identity and brand image within healthcare.