The Challenge

Create a new corporate identity, heighten regional awareness of the company and increase patient traffic (and thereby profits).

When The Great Lakes Institute of Manual Therapy (try saying that fast three times!) first approached us, they knew they needed a corporate image makeover but wanted help defining a new direction. It was immediately apparent that their name and current identity didn’t fit the people we met. The company name was long and hard to remember and the word “Institute” evoked staid academia. In reality, the practice was young, hip and progressive. They were extremely patient-oriented and demonstrated it by designing their three locations to feel more like relaxing spas than therapy clinics. They also set themselves apart by practicing a form of physical therapy called “manual therapy,” which requires additional training and places more emphasis on a hands-on approach.

Key Discovery

We began our process of re-branding by inviting the owners and marketing director to a half-day Key Discovery session. The purpose of the Key Discovery is to help us learn all we can about the company, so we can help identify their marketable strengths.

We discussed:

• Problems with their current name and would they consider a tagline in association with their logo?
• What’s happening in the local and national physical therapy market currently?
• Who are their competitors and how do they position themselves?
• What sets their practice apart from others?
• How do they want to be perceived by both referring doctors and their patients?
• Where is the future of physical therapy headed?
• What were their past successes and failures in marketing the company, and why?
• Which media options might work best to launch a name change, along with ideas for an ongoing advertising campaign?

Insight from Key Discovery

The practice already had a marketing director and that gave them a big advantage over many other physical therapy clinics. They had a good grasp of their market. They were on-board for an integrated campaign.

Formerly, most of Probility’s marketing efforts were aimed at referring physicians, often at scheduled lunch presentations. This made sense since a patient needed a prescription issued by their doctor before therapy could begin. But it had been difficult to get time to meet with the busy doctors, and it took important patient time away from the therapists who attended the lunches along with the marketing director.

Probility made the decision to advertise directly to prospective patients, much like pharmaceutical companies do on television (“Ask your doctor about…”), while continuing to reach out to area doctors.

Branding Implementation

• Working in tandem with the client, we proposed possible new names and associated taglines. The company selected the name “Probility” and the tagline, “Enjoy Your Life Again.” Afterward, we designed the new identity, including updated signage at their three clinics.
• We developed a couple of different ad campaign concepts and the company launched a direct mail campaign with associated print ads to announce its name change.
• We designed a new company website aimed at prospective and current patients, and later included a company blog.
• Working with their marketing director we developed two brochures, one for doctors and the other aimed directly at patients.
• We designed print ads with consistent media placement, which were later adapted to an aggressive billboard campaign.

The Bottom Line

In under a year patient visits doubled and the practice has established a fourth clinic in the area.