Hikma
THE SITUATION
Hikma, a generic pharmaceutical manufacturer, had grown dramatically through acquisitions around the world, and employee culture had eroded along the way. The expert hired to repair that culture brought us in to uncover the brand, knowing it would be crucial to uniting employees across the globe.
OUR CONTRIBUTION
Finding differentiation in a generic pharmaceutical company sounded like a paradox. We talked with doctors and pharmacists around the world and heard the same underlying problem in different words: pharmaceutical supply chains are fragile. No one company could solve that alone, but the companies that cared mattered. That made Hikma’s origin story a huge asset. Founded by a Palestinian refugee in Jordan, Hikma believed in local investment, and with each international acquisition it invested in local communities instead of merely profiting from them. Hikma cared, and it called out the problems its customers faced. Our rearticulated positioning became part of a new employee culture program that brought the company together, from top leadership to teams around the world.
THE BENEFITS
Today, Hikma’s brand marketing focuses on accessibility to medicines - a direct answer to both the costs and supply chain challenges of the pharmaceutical industry. They have become the leading provider of medicines in the Middle East and North Africa, and their growth in other markets (like the US) are contributing greatly to solving healthcare’s systemic challenges.
Welle
THE SITUATION
A company called NAPPI asked for a website redesign. We insisted on following our process to understand why, and determine how to help them succeed.
OUR CONTRIBUTION
NAPPI trains medical workers to protect themselves and their patients from violence in the healthcare workplace. After a workshop with its leaders, we followed our learning agenda to nurses and administrators at healthcare systems, to NAPPI’s Master Trainers - some of them former nurses - and to an analysis of the competition. Healthcare sees 4x the workplace violence of other industries, and 1 in 8 nurses in the US has been assaulted at work. Competitors taught physical defense, restraints, and intervention. NAPPI taught behavioral awareness, management, and prevention. The system was so respected, and the trainers so well liked, that nurses defended the brand whenever new employees questioned the name - NAPPI sounds like a hair insult or a British diaper. To grow its public image and client base, the company needed a rebrand. The problem ran deeper than the rhymes: NAPPI stood for Non-Abusive Psychological and Physical Intervention, but its trauma-informed program was far more than reactive “intervention”. It was proactive management, and that was what set NAPPI apart. The name had to point that way. We landed on Welle - a healthy, calm-sounding name with a unique spelling drawn from the German word for “wave”. Then we executed the whole rebrand: parking lot signs, trainer uniforms, educational materials online and off. And of course, the website.
THE BENEFITS
Before working with us, NAPPI won business by reputation alone. After the rebrand, they went outbound - email marketing, trade shows, and more. When the pandemic overwhelmed healthcare workers, Welle could turn to new customers, like museums struggling to enforce masking policies. The brand investment let them carry that trust into new markets and adapt as conditions changed. Today, Welle continues to serve hospital systems as their primary clientele.