Rafkin was first engaged in 2007 to rebrand the Hospice of Baltimore & Howard County as Gilchrist Hospice Care, named after the organization’s leading donor. Since that time, Gilchrist Hospice Care grew to become a thought leader and one of the largest and most influential hospices in the country.
Nine years later in 2016, Gilchrist hired Rafkin again to update its value proposition for an enlarged organization offering expanded services, to make the brand more patient-centric, to convince patients and their families to engage with Gilchrist services earlier, to clarify the brand architecture to make it easier to engage, and to make the brand friendlier and more approachable by updating its brand identity.
Rafkin conducted online market research and moderated live focus groups with patient families, referring doctors, nurses, social workers, employees, volunteers, and the Board of Directors. Based on this work, Rafkin developed the unique insight that informed all components of the new strategy – that people wanted to shine a light on hospice and demystify the process of dying. During this most difficult time, people wanted plain talk, clear answers, transparency, and simple choices about end of life care.
Rafkin created a new brand positioning expressed in the new tagline, “Informed choices. Better care.” He developed a clear brand architecture that described Gilchrist programs and services simply and helped people navigate the organization better. He developed a new patient-centered brand identity system that was friendly, clear, direct, and approachable. And, he encouraged the organization to communicate more authentically and transparently by developing written guidelines that eliminated previous medical jargon and lofty euphemisms that only served to confuse and intimidate.
Rafkin also selected and partnered with a local advertising agency to roll the new brand out in advertising, social media, and events throughout the greater Baltimore and Washington, D.C. service area. The overall result was a more authentic and patient-centered brand that elevated Gilchrist’s leadership nationwide.
President, Gilchrist
