FROM OBSTACLE TO ALLY

The challenge:
‍

NBME (National Board of Medical Examiners) faced a crisis. Changing attitudes, new competition and poor engagement threatened to topple its historic role as the protector of standards in the health care community. We helped NBME shift from being an insular regulator, to being an audience-focused brand valued for  expertise in assessments and role in keeping medical communities current.

The approach:

‍

Deep research with students, policy makers, and advocates across medical communities told us NBME’s role in assessing and maintaining medical standards of care was very misunderstood and, in fact, resented as a money making monopoly. Looking at the landscape from the community's perspective, we developed a compelling new brand strategy to  reposition NBME as a valued ALLY, led by doctors themselves.

‍

Why it worked:

‍

The ally concept helped NBME become an external facing organization, that prized helping, motivating, and educating its stakeholders around its value in maintaining and evolving medical standards of care. It enabled NBME to drop its stance as a “shield” between physicians and patients.

Suddenly NBME had the much clearer and more relevant purpose of supporting students and healthcare professionals to do great work serving patients throughout their career journeys. Stakeholders could now see how NBME's mission to ensure licensing, credentialing and learning standards helped them to keep up with new science, tech, and changing medical team needs.

‍

The ally concept drastically simplified the brand experience focusing on a single essential promise. Brand communications now organized around supporting needs, services and people (not products). Warm, assuring messages and easy-to-navigate options now functioned as proofpoints for NBME's passion for serving the medical community.

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

‍

Owler Hook:
NBME originally sought brand advice around naming, thinking name confusion was hindering audience relationships. While the name did suffer recognition issues, it was not at the heart of their problems. The business, purpose, and reputation were the real issues at stake. By shifting into the role and behavior of ally, NBME is is doing the deeper work needed to earn its place (and make a name for itself) as critical player in elevating standards of performance and care for healthcare professionals around the world.