About Saint Francis Healthcare
For those living in Southeast Missouri, Saint Francis Healthcare is a landmark. They have been a constant presence in the community for generations. Established as a Catholic-based Healthcare System, it’s come a long way since its founding nuns opened the door.
Today, Saint Francis offers care to over 715,000 people in Southeast Missouri – a feat that requires an army of saints. Luckily, throughout five states, a 306-bed nonprofit tertiary care institution, a development services corporation, and a for-profit organization, Saint Francis has that army.
Saint Francis + Creative Edge
So what does it take to grow from humble beginnings? It’s more than just drive. It requires an understanding that every day is a springboard for tomorrow. So what happens if you’re stuck in yesterday? Well, you have to jump twice as hard to catch up. That is where the help of good friends come into play! And it is that exact predicament that brought Saint Francis and Creative Edge together.
I know what you’re thinking – no. Creative Edge does not have a springboard repair man on sight. It’s a good bet that none of us have done gymnastics in the last 12 months. But we’ve moved on from that metaphor. What Creative Edge does have is a team of creatives that obsess over perfectly showcasing our clients. The start of our partnership with Saint Francis found them in desperate need to refresh their image and tell their story. That was where our team stepped in to make sure their new brand soared!
What Does It Take To Fly?
Following the thoughts of a four-year-old, you need a plane to fly. Ignoring the TSA, the little bags of peanuts, and 12 inches of legroom – planes embody the reality of humanity’s drive to reach new limits. There are hundreds of hours, thousands of spreadsheets, and pools of dreams behind every flight. It’s a model that we hope to embody with everything we do, and it’s the reason why, though you only see a logo, we see a jet!
Development with Saint Francis Healthcare started by diving into the brand’s story. We quickly pinpointed three key factors – (1) inspired by faith to serve, (2) encouraged by “moments” to strive, and (3) driven by community to act. Understanding Saint Francis’ brand profile gave us the room we needed to begin brainstorming new concepts.
These brainstorms, however, were a little more sophisticated than merely, “what do you all think looks good?” We initiated our brainstorming with hours of research, competitive analyses, and industry comparisons. We’ve found it’s the only way to precursor the onslaught of creative genius that our team offers. In many ways, it’s like outlining a spot on the wall where your child is allowed to draw. But in our case, that child stepped away from that spot to reveal the Mona Lisa.
With our branding concepts in hand, we took them to the people. This process included dozens of individuals spanning dozens of demographics. We presented our ideas and requested honest and open feedback. As a brand focused on the people, it only made sense that the people play their part!
Called To Serve You
Once all was said and done, and the numbers were all crunched, we were finally able to step back and review our work. Not to brag but, after levels of approval, it got an A+. From there, our team was off to the races!
Our updated branding and launch had three main elements:
First, we needed to change Saint Francis’ original title “Saint Francis Medical Center” to “Saint Francis Healthcare.” Our studies found that “Healthcare” truly helped patients and families understand the scope of Saint Francis’ care.
Second, we developed the tag, “Called To Serve You,” which was to be used as the mission statement of the organization. We found that incorporating the audience into the tagline allowed them to feel like they were part of the family. (steps one and two also required some waves of our magic design wand)
And third, we needed a way to kick off this re-brand. This was the easy part! Thanks to our nationally ranked video team and the fact that video is proven to be the best medium for business currently, Creative Edge was in the perfect position to launch Saint Francis Healthcare into tomorrow!
