This toolkit is a shared resource for all those who shape Fred Hutch’s verbal and written communications, both formally and informally. It is designed to clarify and amplify what Fred Hutch stands for, how we are different, and why audiences should choose us as their preferred provider of cancer care, as an employer, or as a place to support through donations, advocacy or partnership.
Brand–aligned communications can position Fred Hutch for greater relevance and reach. This kit provides foundational elements, flexible tools and inspiration for teams to modify and adapt messages across channels.
This is a living guide that will be continuously updated and expanded. If you have any questions, please contact brand@fredhutch.org.
Brand Promise
Crystallization of what Fred Hutch stands for.
Strengths
Core differentiators authentic to Fred Hutch.
Personality
Key attributes that codify our tone and style.
Value
Overarching benefit of our organization – why we matter.
Brand Promise
For more than 50 years, Fred Hutch has proven:
Where breakthroughs begin, care goes beyond.
The brand promise describes the value for people everywhere that’s created by the dynamic, interdependent exchange between our research and care.
This purposefully builds on the Fred Hutch mission statement, which grounds our innovative discoveries and expert care for a clear purpose: improving and saving lives.
Our Mission
Fred Hutch Cancer Center unites innovative research and compassionate care to prevent and eliminate cancer and infectious disease. We’re driven by the urgency of our patients, the hope of our community and our passion to pursue discoveries, scientific breakthroughs and healthier lives for every person in every community.
Trailblazing
Our voice reflects our curiosity and resourcefulness. We speak with vision and courage, eager to shape the future with bold ideas.
Unifying
Our voice is inclusive and engaging. We use language that connects with people, ideas, and around our lifesaving mission of eliminating cancer and infectious diseases.
Confidence-Inspiring
Our voice is expert yet approachable — knowledgeable, generous, and reassuring. We speak with clarity, building trust.
Purpose Driven
Our voice is dynamic, optimistic and focused on meaningful goals. We use active language to demonstrate momentum and compelling stories to show human impact.
Value
Value is assigned by individuals when they believe an organization is offering a distinctive benefit meaningful to them.
Our brand promise establishes the overall value of the dynamic exchange between research and care, which is particularly distinguishing for Fred Hutch regionally, with the following distinctive benefits:
- Because we can share significant new research and clinical insights in real time across integrated teams, we more quickly and directly advance meaningful innovation and improve care.
- Our strength in both research and care allows us to attract specialists and subspecialists with deep knowledge of specific cancers that is unmatched regionally. (This level of specialist wants to work at organizations with strong research and clinical programs.)
- In contrast to our regional competitors, we offer a significant number of clinical trials that Fred Hutch directly creates, with a track record of setting new care standards. We offer clinical trials not available elsewhere, and which may even be based on specific needs we see in our community.
These are good overarching value propositions. However, for our brand voice to be effective, we will often need to be more specific about the distinctive benefit that matters most to a particular audience. Always consider the audience you wish to reach and prioritize relevant value propositions.
The following captures, at a high level, our value:
WHO
Fred Hutch, Washington state’s only NCI-designated cancer center,
HOW
unites leading scientists and care providers to accelerate breakthroughs that improve lives.
WHAT
With a track record of innovative research and expert care, we’re blazing new trails to a
WHY
future beyond cancer and infectious disease.
Messaging
Our universal messaging captures who we are, what we do, and how and why we do it — in a way that resonates with all audiences. They express the key themes we want all audiences to associate with our brand.
A boilerplate, one-liner and elevator pitch can be found in the Organization Name and Descriptions section of this site. These messages can be used verbatim and also serve as inspiration for more targeted messaging.
Contact Us
For any brand strategy or messaging questions, please contact brand@fredhutch.org.