|  Scott Regan

This blog may generate a lot of criticism. I know it going in.

So, which are the most powerful hospital brands in America?

Mayo? Cleveland Clinic?

No and no.

If a measure of a brand is volume and market share, then neither of these brands — or any other hospital brand, for that matter — makes the cut.

Of the two brands mentioned above, neither of them are even among the 20 largest hospitals in America.

If volume is a measure of brand strength, then the Big Two would be Florida Hospital and New York-Presbyterian Hospital, which have national market shares of 0.29% and 0.25%, respectively.* So, you say, it isn’t fair that I measure brand performance at a national level. Okay, then, let’s look at it regionally. In Orlando, which is essentially a two-hospital town, Florida Hospital is battling Orlando Regional with 53.2% market share. And in New York City, New York-Presbyterian — the largest hospital in America with 2,207 staffed beds — has but 19.8% market share.

I know what many of you are thinking right now. A brand cannot be measured solely on market share.

And I agree with you.

But my point is this: Whatever market you are in, you are not trying to position your brand against Mayo or the Cleveland Clinic (unless, of course, you happen to be in Rochester or Cleveland). Hospitals are local in nature and, for the most part, the vast majority of patients travel less than 50 miles to seek a hospital provider. This is not Nike vs. Reebok for world domination. This is Community Hospital vs. Memorial Medical Center for local market position.

The fact is, there are no powerful hospital brands in the U.S. (This is where the criticism begins.)

Even in Cleveland, the renowned Cleveland Clinic has but 33.8% market share and is battling Fairview Hospital, MetroHealth Medical Center, and University Hospitals for quality bragging rights, as all four have been named a top 100 hospital in recent years. (Check out the CMS Hospital Compare website and see which of these hospitals is the leader in core measure performance. Hint: It isn’t the Cleveland Clinic.)

Which is why branding is becoming increasingly important — not at the national level, but at the local level. More and more hospitals are figuring out they can create a brand that can be more dominant in their market than Mayo or the Cleveland Clinic is in theirs. The smart ones are even tearing a page from the Mayo/Cleveland Clinic playbooks by creating a customer experience built around quality and service.

After all, there is a reason that Mayo and the Cleveland Clinic are held in such high regard, even if their brands don’t translate into king-of-the-hill kind of market share numbers. They are both intensely focused on what their brands mean and work hard to deliver on their reputations. And they have been doing it for years.

The lesson here is that brands are not built overnight, and healthcare brands are not even built nationally. Which means that the most powerful hospital brand in America is, in actuality, the most powerful hospital brand in your own market.

The question is, is it yours?

*Market share is based on 2007 data