BayMark Health Services

Case Study: Unifying a Rapidly Growing Network Through Strategic Brand Architecture

Overview

BayMark Health Services is North America’s largest provider of substance use disorder (SUD) treatment. With an extensive and fast-growing footprint, BayMark offers care through a range of service lines — including opioid treatment programs (OTPs), office-based opioid treatment (OBOT), and residential addiction treatment centers — spanning the United States and Canada.

 

The Challenge:

BayMark’s impressive growth trajectory brought both opportunity and complexity. As the organization acquired numerous treatment programs and facilities, leadership recognized the need for a strategic framework to bring coherence to its expanding portfolio.

Springboard was engaged to solve three interconnected challenges:

  • Align disparate brands under a cohesive structure that strengthened the parent brand without erasing local value
  • Inspire internal culture and employee connection to a shared purpose across geographically and functionally diverse teams
  • Support future growth and patient utilization by improving clarity, access, and brand recognition across the continuum of care

Springboard’s Approach: 

Brand Architecture as a Strategic Lever

Using our Shape framework and deep experience in healthcare brand strategy, Springboard guided BayMark through a multi-scenario brand architecture evaluation.

  • Phase I: Immersion

We partnered with BayMark leadership to understand business goals, internal culture dynamics, and audience behavior across all care settings. We audited the brand landscape,  including owned entities and competitors, and conducted interviews to surface internal and external perceptions of the existing brand structure.

  • Phase II: Research

Springboard presented a set of brand architecture scenarios, each designed to support business alignment, employee engagement, and patient growth. Together, we evaluated models from house of brands to endorsed brand to masterbrand, analyzing implications for stakeholder trust, operational integration, and marketing effectiveness.

  • Phase III: Strategic Insight

The selected path moved BayMark from a loosely connected house of brands toward a position-based, unified brand system endorsed by the parent organization, preserving some local equity while elevating a shared brand promise. This solution gave BayMark a strategic platform for storytelling, internal engagement, and scalable growth.

The Outcome: 

Recognition, Engagement, and Strategic Clarity

Following the implementation of the new architecture and brand strategy:

  • Brand recognition increased by 30% across priority markets

  • Patient engagement rose significantly, reflecting improved brand clarity and access

  • Internal alignment improved, creating a stronger sense of purpose and pride among staff

By unifying its expanding network under a shared strategic vision, BayMark positioned itself not just as a collection of treatment centers — but as a leader in comprehensive, accessible substance use disorder care.

Why It Matters

Healthcare organizations growing through acquisition often face a critical inflection point: how to unify without erasing, and scale without confusion. Springboard’s Strategy Practice helps organizations like BayMark operationalize brand strategy as a tool for culture, clarity, and connection — supporting both business growth and mission fulfillment.

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