SSM Health, one of the major healthcare systems in St. Louis, needed help to launch their new health plan — WellFirst Health — into an insurance marketplace crowded with familiar, trusted competitors. They asked SRH to develop a brand identity and launch campaign strategy. The challenge? This new brand needed to be shiny & new and traditional & trustworthy at the same time.
Insights showed that SSM Health had a stable, positive brand association in the St. Louis market, with a heritage of healing going back to its Catholic roots. We would firmly root the brand identity in the visual identity of SSM, while differentiating the mark to ensure there was no confusion with the parent company.
Our logo design combined the cross — a symbol of SSM's heritage — and the lotus, a symbol of wellness.
We launched a fully integrated teaser campaign in the St. Louis market strategically timed ahead of open enrollment.
The following year, we expanded the campaign to include a St. Louis Icon: Ozzie Smith. By partnering WellFirst Health with this baseball hero, we further cemented trust in the new brand.
