Hospital Brand Repositioning Case Study | CCAD UAE | Liwa

The Background

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi (CCAD) stands among the most respected healthcare institutions in the UAE, recognised globally for its advanced clinical capabilities, specialised medical expertise, and commitment to patient outcomes. As a flagship hospital in the region, CCAD represents international standards of excellence while serving a diverse and growing local population.

In 2025, CCAD partnered with Liwa, a leading healthcare branding agency UAE, to address a critical brand perception challenge. While the hospital enjoyed immense global credibility, it was often perceived as an international institution operating in Abu Dhabi—rather than a hospital that truly belonged to the city and its people.

This perception created emotional distance at the point of choice. Patients trusted CCAD after experiencing its care, but that trust was not fully established before the first visit. Liwa was engaged to lead a strategic hospital brand repositioning and hospital go-to-market strategy that would transform CCAD from a globally admired institution into Abu Dhabi’s own trusted healthcare partner.

The result is a compelling healthcare marketing case study that demonstrates how strategic storytelling, cultural understanding, and human-centric communication can deepen trust without diluting clinical authority.

Challenge

Despite its global reputation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi faced a perception challenge. The hospital was respected, admired, and trusted—yet often seen as distant, elite, and foreign in emotional terms.

This perception created an unintended barrier. While CCAD’s premium healthcare branding reinforced excellence, it also contributed to a sense of separation. Trust was earned after treatment, not before it. Emotional reassurance was missing at the consideration stage, limiting deeper engagement with local audiences.

The core issue was not quality or capability—it was proximity and emotional trust. For the hospital's go-to-market strategy to succeed, CCAD needed to feel closer, more human, and more locally rooted. This insight became the cornerstone of the hospital brand repositioning and shaped the strategic direction of this healthcare marketing case study.

Key Insight

The defining insight was clear: the challenge was never performance—it was perception.

Patient behaviour consistently showed that once individuals experienced CCAD’s care, loyalty followed. Clinical expertise was unquestioned, and outcomes spoke for themselves. This confirmed that the real barrier existed before the first visit, not after it.

The focus was on showing CCAD’s excellence in a way people could easily connect with. CCAD needed to move from exclusive excellence to inclusive care—from institutional language to empathetic storytelling. The brand voice evolved from “hospital speak” to “heart speak,” ensuring that global standards felt approachable, human, and locally relevant.

This insight guided every aspect of the hospital brand repositioning and hospital go-to-market strategy, shaping a trust-led narrative grounded in real patient experience. As a result, this healthcare marketing case study illustrates how a healthcare branding agency UAE can turn insight into meaningful perception change.

The Shift

The story Liwa helped shape was one of transformation. Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi was reframed not just as a globally respected institution, but as Abu Dhabi’s own world-class healthcare partner—deeply connected to the lives of the people it serves.

Rather than leading with credentials or clinical superiority, the narrative centred on human experience. Through emotionally resonant healthcare storytelling, CCAD’s excellence was expressed in ways that felt familiar, reassuring, and culturally grounded.

The brand voice shifted from distant authority to everyday presence. Global expertise remained intact, but it was translated through empathy, warmth, and local pride. This patient-centric approach allowed CCAD to move from being admired at a distance to being trusted in daily life—creating a powerful and authentic hospital brand repositioning.

Strategy to Action

To translate insight into impact, Liwa delivered an integrated hospital go-to-market strategy that aligned brand narrative, culture, and patient experience across all touchpoints.

The process began with the development of a unified brand communication system that moved CCAD’s tone from institutional authority to emotional reassurance. This system ensured consistency across channels while making world-class expertise feel human and accessible.

Liwa used films and storytelling to show real human moments, not just status or prestige. These stories positioned CCAD as a partner in everyday health—not only present in moments of crisis, but throughout life’s journey.

Cultural relevance was central to execution. All content was carefully localised in both Arabic and English, respecting linguistic tone and cultural context while maintaining global brand standards.

The strategy was activated across digital, physical, and experiential touchpoints—ensuring that every interaction reinforced the same promise: world-class care delivered with local understanding and trust.

This end-to-end execution demonstrates how a healthcare branding agency UAE can deliver scalable, culturally grounded hospital brand repositioning at scale.

Brand Identity

“A Decade of Care” (2015–2025)

The campaign marked ten years of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s presence in the UAE. Rather than focusing solely on longevity, the platform reframed the milestone as a story of commitment, trust, and belonging—highlighting how exceptional care had become part of everyday life in Abu Dhabi.

This identity reinforced CCAD’s transformation from an internationally admired institution into Abu Dhabi’s own world-class healthcare partner, perfectly aligning with the broader hospital brand repositioning.

Creative Deliverables

Liwa developed a comprehensive ecosystem of brand assets, including:

• Hero brand film showcasing human stories of care and trust

• An interconnected visual identity system for multi-channel consistency

• Out-of-home (OOH) and event assets extending the narrative into public spaces

• A coffee table book documenting CCAD’s decade-long journey

• CGI and experiential films translating clinical excellence into emotional storytelling

Together, these assets worked seamlessly across digital, physical, and experiential platforms, ensuring strategic scalability and emotional resonance.

Business Impact

The hospital's go-to-market strategy delivered measurable performance outcomes, validating the shift from global admiration to local trust.

• +2,125% increase in website clicks

• +2,181% growth in phone inquiries

• +1,357% rise in WhatsApp interactions

• +8% increase in outpatient visits

• +10% growth in physician-only visits

• +2,626% surge in paid digital impressions