“Branding is finding what’s true in any organization.” Mark Viden has experience in brand advertising with lots of different types of organizations ranging from startups and financial services to his current role as Vice Preside of Brand Marketing at Dignity Health. We discussed all of this and more on this week’s episode of the On Brand podcast.

 About Mark Viden

Mark Viden is charged with building a consumer brand for Dignity Health to help drive patient and physician awareness and acquisition. He oversees brand advertising for the organization, and is responsible for developing branded experiences through sports sponsorships, pop ups, and other channels. He is also the business sponsor for Dignity Health’s consumer digital engagements, including website development, social media strategies and native content development.

Prior to joining Dignity Health, Viden has held a number of marketing positions both in Boston and San Francisco. He started his career at the advertising agency, Hill Holiday, and then moved on to work in the financial services industry. He also led brand development for a boutique agency that served both startups and established brands, such as NBCi, Houghton Mifflin, and Hewlett Packard.

Viden received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from Colby College in Waterville, Maine, has served on the San Francisco board of the International Association of Business Communicators, and is an active member of the Communication Leadership Exchange.

Episode Highlights

Branding as storytelling. “It’s all about telling stories — finding the stories” of the people whose lives your work touches. And health is a powerful part of people’s lives.

“Patients want to tell their stories.” Recently, Dignity Health has actively sought patient’s stories, even using found footage in their videos.

“Health is one of the most searched topics in Google.” That also creates a big disruption! Patients know more than ever before — even about marketing. “Consumers also more savvy today about advertising than ever before.”

What’s missing in healthcare marketing today? “Authentic experiences. We want to start a movement.”

What brand has made Mark smile recently? “Lyft — they’ve done a great job of positioning themselves as an irreverent counterpoint to Uber.” He also mentioned the recent Samsung ad, which paired an ostrich and a VR headset.

To learn more, go to dignityhealth.org and check out their YouTube channel.

As We Wrap …

Before we go, I want to flip the microphone around to our community …

Recently, Peter Shankman gave a shout out on Twitter to his appearance on my previous podcast, The Work Talk Show where he shared how he makes work fun. We’ll have to get you on the On Brand podcast next!

Did you hear something you liked on this episode or another? Do you have a question you’d like our guests to answer? Let me know on Twitter using the hashtag #OnBrandPodcast and you may just hear your thoughts here on the show.

Until next week, I’ll see you on the Internet!

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