In 2024, Next Stage partnered with Piedmont Health Services to facilitate a comprehensive brand marketing effort. With over 50 years of history providing healthcare to underserved communities, the nonprofit health system had grown to 12 locations, employing over 1,000 staff and serving 14 counties in the Piedmont region. This growth necessitated a strategic marketing approach to ensure long-term sustainability.
Following a thorough discovery phase, Next Stage developed a movement-building brand marketing approach to craft a human-centered brand identity, positioning the organization for enhanced community impact and sustainable future growth.
Balancing Growth with Mission
Founded in 1970 by community members and healthcare professionals from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Piedmont Health Services has become a leading community healthcare provider.
However, with growth comes scaling considerations. Because of its expansion into a multi-county nonprofit health system, Piedmont Health Services wanted to bring cohesion to a central brand identity across its sites. And to ensure long-term sustainability, the organization wanted to encourage a diverse patient mix. To do so, it knew it needed to effectively communicate its value proposition to both patients and organizational partners alike.
Developing a Movement-Building Approach
Next Stage implemented a comprehensive three-phase approach to address Piedmont Health Services’s brand marketing needs. The process began with a discovery phase in fall 2024 that included material review, stakeholder interviews, focus groups, comparative research of similarly structured community health organizations, and broader trend research to uncover communication approaches aligned with the organization’s newly defined strategic plan. This culminated in an Opportunity Assessment that served as a launchpad for the organization’s next steps.
The planning phase, from November 2024 to February 2025, included a series of brand workshops with Piedmont Health Services staff and board leaders. The workshops included breakout sessions to assist staff in defining target personas, representing both current and aspirational audiences to diversify the organization’s constituent mix.
During these workshops, Next Stage also introduced its “movement-building brand marketing” concept to the team. This human-centered approach, inspired by Donald Miller’s StoryBrand and “the hero’s journey” framework, focuses on building belonging through mission rather than simply highlighting organizational achievements.
Establishing & Operationalizing a Human-Centered Healthcare Brand
Working collaboratively with the Piedmont Health Services team, Next Stage developed a brand story centered on “Community is at the heart of good health” with four key messages:
- “Rooted in Community”
- “Care that Grows with You”
- “Connected Care, All in One Place”
- “Healthcare Built Together”
The planning phase resulted in a comprehensive Brand Marketing & Communication Plan that provided the organization with a roadmap focused on four key goals and an 18-month strategic marketing rollout strategy.
The plan included steps for an initial internal brand campaign to ensure staff alignment, followed by targeted relationship marketing efforts and reinforced digital campaigns with PR components to strengthen engagement, build trust, and enhance brand visibility.
Next Stage then conducted two digital intensives with the Piedmont Health Services team in early 2025, focused on practical steps to implement the organization’s brand marketing goals. The team collaborated with Piedmont Health Services staff to outline specific activities, roles, KPIs, and milestones to keep the project on track.
This comprehensive approach to implementation planning provided the organization with the tools, guidance, and resources needed to successfully execute its brand marketing strategy beyond the consulting engagement.
Transforming Healthcare Through Community Connection
The collaborative partnership between Next Stage and Piedmont Health Services resulted in a refreshed brand centered on community and human connection.
The effort demonstrates the value of a human-centered approach to healthcare marketing that positions patients and community members as active participants in creating improved health outcomes, building a movement of health and well-being.
By focusing on the constituent as the change agent and positioning Piedmont Health Services as the guide in their healthcare journey, the nonprofit has positioned its brand in a way that can significantly increase connection with its broader community, helping the organization fulfill its mission of enhancing health and well-being by delivering high-quality, affordable, and comprehensive healthcare while ensuring long-term organizational sustainability.
