Can a healthcare brand evolve for a consumer-first future?

Oregon Dental Services was an HMO and insurance provider with roots in the Pacific Northwest going back over 60 years. But in that time, they’d evolved far beyond their original identity, offering much more than dental insurance, in places far beyond Oregon. With the arrival of the Affordable Care Act, they realized it was time to create a new brand strategy to reflect their expansion, and to better connect with individual consumers.

Ziba’s research made it clear that people often saw HMOs as barriers to health care. So ODS’s new brand had to show they shared customers’ goals of better health, regardless of starting point. This began with a new name: Moda, meaning“the way”. Along with a new visual identity, it presents a resilient, future-oriented brand—a guide who partners with you to navigate unfamiliar landscapes. To activate the brand internally, Ziba created an employee guidebook and a “Be Better” manifesto outlining its goals. We also ran sessions with Moda employees to convey implications of the strategy that went deeper than just a new identity, and led training to help them adopt a more service-oriented approach.

From guidebook and logo to signage and a new website, every Moda touchpoint utilizes graphics and imagery that emphasize foresight, clarity and vision. Tactical applications for the new brand—in marketing, advertising and sponsorships—includes a ten-year partnership with Portland’s Rose Garden, home of the NBA Trail Blazers. Now called the Moda Center, the beloved arena features a new Ziba-designed logo.