Brand Extension Strategy
The brand extension for a multi-speciality hospital's new Women & Children’s wing seamlessly integrated the institution’s heritage branding with a fresh, playful, and approachable narrative. By placing women at the heart of the story, a visual identity was crafted that celebrates strength, nurturing, and creation, supported by a pre-launch go-to-market strategy that enhances the hospital’s trusted reputation while resonating deeply with the new target audience,
Client
Sparsh Hospital Group, Karnataka, India
Timeline
4 months
Type of Work
Brand Visioning, Extension & Go-to-Market Strategy
Industry
Healthcare
Core Competencies
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Market Research
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Brand Identity development
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Launch Strategy
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Event Strategy & Management
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Copy Writing
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Client & Account Management
Introduction
A well-established hospital chain sought to expand with a new Women & Children’s wing. The new offering needed to align seamlessly with the hospital’s brand, which had built trust within the local community through its reputation for quality care. However, as the hospital had only recently expanded into the multi-specialty healthcare sector, there was a risk that introducing a sub-brand could dilute the trust it had established. The challenge was to position the new Women & Children’s wing in a way that reinforced the hospital’s credibility while distinguishing it as a specialized care center.
Develop a brand extension and go-to-market strategy to position the new Women & Children’s wing as a welcoming, advanced care center. This involved creating a new brand identity, designing a strategic pre-launch marketing plan, and executing community events. The messaging needed to be sensitive to societal stigma around women’s health while establishing the hospital as a safe, supportive space for women and families. Additionally, the brand extension had to align with the hospital’s existing Sanskrit and regional cultural identity.
Project Brief
Process
INSIGHT & RESEARCH
Mapped the brand and market landscape through stakeholder interviews, competitor analysis, and trend research.
DESIGN & STRATEGY
Co-developed concepts with stakeholders—refining feasibility, positioning, and budget. Designed strategic extension opportunities and shaped a brand narrative aligned with the parent brand.
EMBED & EMPOWER
Built a pre-launch strategy including naming, messaging, and branded assets. Activated one of the strategies through a live event experience.
Market Research & Strategic Direction
The ideation phase centred on the Tree of Life, symbolising growth, fertility, and strength—core qualities aligned with women’s health and the brand’s desired messaging. Sanskrit names reflecting themes of goddess, nurture, and creation were explored to create a fitting extension for the new hospital wing.
However, market research highlighted the hospital’s recent entry into the multi-specialty healthcare sector. Insights revealed that introducing a sub-brand could dilute the trust already established with the audience. As a result, the strategic decision was made to align the new wing closely with the main brand, rather than creating an entirely new name and identity, ensuring consistency and continuity.
Visual Identity & Storytelling
To ensure a seamless brand extension, the existing hospital logo and name were adapted for the new Women & Children’s wing. This approach maintained brand continuity and strengthened the hospital’s established reputation.
Storytelling Concept
To create a cohesive and engaging brand experience, a unified visual identity and storytelling approach was developed across all hospital communications.
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Logo Adaptation: The existing logo, featuring hands, was subtly modified to symbolise the connection between mother and child, reinforcing the tagline "The Touch of Life."
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Visual Identity: A consistent visual style was established across all brand messaging.
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Colour & Design: Extended the hospital’s core colour palette to enhance warmth, and approachability and integrated free-flowing elements to reflect themes of play and comfort.
The design concept was developed in close collaboration with the client to ensure it aligned with their vision.
Collateral designs were then executed by an external graphic designer, following the established strategic direction to maintain consistency with the overall vision.
This unified visual storytelling approach was implemented across hospital signage, brochures, digital assets, and pre-launch materials to ensure a cohesive brand experience.
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Visual Identity & Concept
Pre-launch Marketing Strategy
A marketing strategy was developed within a tight two-month timeline and a limited budget to support the pre-launch and positioning of the new specialised hospital wing. The approach focused on a combination of niche marketing and micro-marketing, leveraging hyper-local engagement and digital amplification.
Key audience segments with high conversion potential were targeted through events and tailored communications. This strategy aimed to build trust, drive awareness, and position the hospital as a leader in specialised care within its community and competitive market.
Proposed strategy was created for the company's in-house marketing team to the execute.
Event Strategy & Outcome
University Panel Discussions
As part of the pre-launch strategy, panel discussions were organised and conducted at two of the city's largest women’s universities. Led by senior doctors for the new hospital wing, these discussions focused on essential health and wellness topics for young women. The aim was to spark meaningful conversations, address common health concerns, and position the hospital as a trusted authority in women’s healthcare. The initiative also served to create an open channel for ongoing communication and dialogue with the community.
To deepen community engagement, the launch event was designed to be interactive and accessible, ensuring active participation from attendees and fostering lasting connections.
Key Highlights:
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Panel discussions engaged over 500 students at prominent women’s universities.
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Addressed critical topics like PCOS, nutrition, and sexual health to encourage meaningful dialogue.
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Branded t-shirts and discounted health check-up vouchers distributed at the launch event to drive engagement and excitement.
Impact
The project significantly raised awareness of the new Women & Children’s Hospital wing, positioning it as a trusted, innovative healthcare provider. It strengthened community trust and loyalty by aligning messaging with the audience's values and needs, while laying the foundation for long-term relationships with women and families. The community centric events like the panel discussions reinforced the hospital’s commitment to accessible, women-centred healthcare, fostering strong community engagement and establishing the hospital as a leader in specialised care.