Abstract
We theorized that branding of general hospitals might be similar to that in the manufacturing and service in dustries.
We investigated the branding of general hospitals both by reviewing branding in daily medical practice and with reference to corporate and industrial publications. Primarily, two articles were used as reference materials. The first was “Context Branding” by Akutsu and Ishida about branding tactics and the other was “Driving Brand Value” by Duncan and Moriarty.
In this study, we found that the quality of health service is the local brand and the persons who could promote the hospital were not only patients but also the local residents and hospital employees. We found that we could build up the health service brand when the aims of the hospital were made into clear policies, so that the services provided and the image could be combined by communication between the hospital and residents. These points about the branding of health services are virtually the same as in other industries.
