Providence's Director of Marketing and Communications Talks Branding Experience

Claire Celeste Carnes, Director of Marketing and Communications with Providence talked with Taraneh Foster, the AMA's Forward '09 PR/Media Coordinator to provide further insights about branding.

What does "brandologie" mean to you?

A required conference for marketing professionals in the Northwest, as well as a good reminder that both personally and professionally, our brand defines us to the outside world. It would also make a good name for a cocktail, maybe something a little fruity, but that last part might be wishful thinking.

At Intel you probably did mostly B2B marketing, and at Providence you probably do mostly B2C marketing. Which do you like better? Why?

I have had the opportunity to do both, at both!

At Intel, I worked on the Pentium 3 processor launch at a time in which people lined up outside retailers to buy the latest and greatest PCs. Those were the days! I managed the Web launch including our first "Where to Buy" area, with links to online etailers, retailers and OEMs like Dell who were selling directly. But then I also worked on strategies for IT managers to increase their PC replacement cycles as well as data center consolidation strategies with virtualization, which as you probably had guess, was more B2B.

At Providence, I am accountable for both consumer and business marketing, as well as our channel marketing and communication with members. I love the ability to work on strategies and test them with consumers and see the immediate results with traffic and enrollments and measure the ROI. But then winning big new accounts such as the Oregon Educators Benefits Board in 2008 or retaining a valued customer is also a thrill.

So, in terms of which I like better, I actually like both. One thing I would say to other marketers out there is that it's easier to excel in B2B, there seems to be less competition for break-through communication.

Why do you think the Pillsbury dough boy hasn't gotten stale?

Careful here, the Doughboy and I are the same age!

Poppin' Fresh remains relevant because he's able to reinvent himself with brand extensions that follow the trends, yet remains consistent with his core brand identity of the helper in the kitchen. And the products fulfill a need for affordable baking short-cuts in the kitchen. And, for those wondering, yes it is OK to eat the cookie dough without baking it first.

What led you to marketing and branding?

It always seemed a natural path to me. I really enjoyed communication strategy and followed the marketing path to WSU for their communications program, and there competed in the National Student Advertising Competition and doing promotions for the student radio station. After graduation, I went to an advertising agency, then to the best Marketing MBA program in the country (the Kellogg School at Northwestern), then P&G for a brand internship, and applied these as I continued to focus on brand management and marketing throughout my career, picking up more management and strategy experience and education along the way. I enjoy putting together the marketing strategy to support the business strategy first, then seeing it reflected in strong creative execution and consistent branding, finally to assessing results.

Many people who live near Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital go to Providence St. Vincent Medical Center instead. What is it about Providence that makes them drive farther to get treatment?

Thank you for that example. We consistently find that Providence has high loyalty in the market across our hospitals, clinics and our health insurance. Providence has been in the Northwest for 153 years and you can only enjoy that kind of longevity if you value, respect and truly care about the community.

Providence is a non-profit mission-driven organization and the employees here really take that seriously. You can find clinical excellence at many places, but when you are sick or injured, or frightened for a loved one that is, you need more than clinical excellence. You need to know that these people care for your well-being and will do everything they can to make your experience better. Compassion is one of the five core values and you will feel that when you're at a Providence facility. We try to put the patient or member at the center of everything we do.

What are your thoughts about the brand refresh at Intel where the "i" has a square dot rather than a round one? Do you think it makes a significant difference to the Intel brand?

Actually, it was a huge change and the flawless roll-out really spoke to careful planning and detailed implementation. To put it in perspective, it rolled out at the first of the year in 2006, my badge was delivered and worked in the building right away and I was at CES (a large consumer electronics trade show) later that week with not only the new business cards but all of our signage, collateral and presentations updated.

Beyond the execution, the strategy was central for both updating the stale Intel logo, but also combining it with Intel Inside to streamline and strengthen the brand architecture.

You've worked both in-house and agency. Which environment is better for branding professionals?

This is a very good question, but it depends. At an agency, part of what clients pay you for is your branding knowledge and expertise. It's expected; valued. You have an opportunity to focus on branding elements and how they're implemented and do it for a variety of clients in a multitude of industries.

When you're within a company, you have an opportunity to influence how that company lives its brand – you see into business processes or departments that agencies will never see or influence. But you're often the only one in the room that cares about the brand, so it can be a challenge to keep that passion for your brand and continue to explain why to a CFO or other director why marketing has value and a strong brand delivers positive ROI. Sometimes, it makes me long for the agency days where everyone around you "gets it." I'm lucky enough right now to have a very strong marketing and communications team under me, so at least I have a team that "gets it," so maybe I have the best of both!