Communication has been, is, and always will be key to the success of any institution. Portugal still lags behind. However, I increasingly encounter promising examples of a mindset of change and the promise of leveraging this field to the forefront, where it should always be.
I believe you've built a career path, practically from scratch. I often say that Communications, Marketing, and perhaps even PR, is one of the most "unloved" areas in our country. However, success is evident when investing in Communications. And the Digital Age may become the springboard to ground it in the management of companies, institutions, and entities… generating a paradigm shift.
So, when I refer to starting from scratch, I mean all the methods you had to outline and implement. From internal and external communication to institutional communication. Media relations. Various communication matrices, with strategies and planning based on various variables and market analysis. The use of campaigns and presentations. Advertising and journalistic information. Design and digital. Clinical service expertise. Development of partnerships. Protocols with institutions—and a vast array of tools—are all enabled by marketing and communication tools, effectively creating and building, developing and energizing, empowering, and building credibility, with clearly defined objectives.
The São João brand encompasses healthcare capabilities at the highest level. Personalized and coupled with a sense of trust and commitment, it aims to deliver quality healthcare and patient satisfaction. I believe the closeness that is being created between healthcare professionals and patients was a necessity. Because it strengthens bonds and strengthens relationships. I found the partnership with the University extremely insightful, presenting future healthcare professionals with the benefits of communication strategies in their relationships with their patients. This will further strengthen this closeness and satisfaction. Promoting healthcare with quality services and good performance builds trust. Trust builds respect. Respect builds a consolidated brand in the market. And a brand of respect and trust builds quality and good performance… And this is the spiral we want to achieve.
I believe that extending the same philosophy to all services. To so many employees, investors, suppliers, regulators, and shareholders. Creating truthfulness, transparency, and a market positioning for an institution that is always in vogue and in the news, in addition to increasingly demanding users, seeking healthcare literacy. An informed population. One that wants information. For whom access to information and greater interaction is a challenge. This leads to appropriate personalization of services. Implementing innovation was a clever strategy… For example, the Blood Bank, the My S. João App, #SomosSãoJoão, the Human Milk Bank, QR Code credentials for visitors, etc.
I know that the São João Hospital was deservedly recognized for its Blood Bank's communication strategy during the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic. It has already received the Gold Medal of Merit from the Porto City Council. Nationally, it was the brand that created the most healthcare content on LinkedIn (I think in 2022). In 2023, it ranked first in the Public Healthcare category in a study conducted by OnStrategy. And Dr. Jorge received the Senior Marketer distinction from APPM. These awards confirm the prestige of his work and the São João brand.
Given this successful trajectory and a brilliant resume, I couldn't go without highlighting something that particularly caught my attention: his humility. He speaks not as a unique and singular individual, but as part of a whole. Truth be told, that's how it works. Like in a soccer game: the center forward scores the goal, but the whole team contributed to it. And reaching the podium, highlighting and thanking those who supported him, only adds merit and value. ("Humility unites. And it brings people together. It doesn't look down from above. Nor up from below. It always looks as equals. It grows and makes others grow. It never thrives on the weakening of others. (...) It follows its own path. Its own path, without being superior to anyone. And without ever forgetting those who helped it follow.")
By the way, congratulations on the website www.jorgejorge.com, which has information and content of enormous interest. And I can't help but be amazed by the photographs. All captured through the lens, from something more than a simple glance.
You must be proud of the path you have taken and of the São João brand.
