Why Uniforms are Essential Branding for Dentists

Branding may seem alien to some dentists, but every dental practice has a brand, whether it thinks it does or not. Consequently, the people working in it are a part of that brand, and the uniforms they wear at work should express this.

A brand is more than a logo. A logo is a visual stimulus to remind people of the brand, but the brand itself is a physical display of everything the practice stands for.

It is, essentially, the equivalent of a personality.

 

What Does a Brand Cover?

A brand includes the dental practice’s physical environment: the layout and décor. It also includes what products and services the practice offers, such as various treatments.

Branding covers how the practice communicates, including the tone of voice it adopts in its information and marketing.

Finally, the brand also embodies the people employed at the practice, including dentists, hygienists and support staff.

How the team behaves, and how they interact with patients, and one another, should reflect the practice’s brand values.

Consistency is the key to becoming a successful brand. This means ensuring that all the elements that make up the brand harmonise in getting across the brand’s values and the key messages of the brand.

 

The Importance of Uniforms

The late Apple CEO Steve Jobs once suggested that people working there could wear a corporate uniform, only, he claimed, to be almost booed off stage, such was the negative response.

And yet, Jobs himself developed a personal uniform of sorts: a black turtle-neck jumper worn with jeans.

It worked. It helped define him in other people’s eyes and sealed his own sense of identity.

Uniforms can be a vital means of communicating brand values, encapsulating an individual’s personality within an overall brand image. Furthermore, the right uniform gives the individual personality breathing space, allowing it to complement the brand.

Are uniforms an outdated concept? Not if they are the right kind of uniforms.

They must be sufficiently up to date and dynamic, and must convey a sense of uniformity but also approachability.

It is vital that the team wearing uniforms understands why they are wearing them and buy-in to the brand values that underpin them.

Uniforms need not be too uniform: you can vary styles to suit individuals, and their positions in the team.

The aim is not to produce an image of faceless uniformity, but rather to offer patients a means of immediate identification that helps them feel they can fully engage with staff and put their trust in them.

 

 

Style and Pride

Is there room for style in dental scrubs? At Pastelli UK we believe that style is a crucial component in workwear.

Style helps build an individual’s pride in their own appearance, and in the brand for whom they work. It helps create a powerful sense of belonging, and following brand values in how they interact with others.

It is also vital that stylish dental scrubs are practical. They must be comfortable but hard-wearing, and allow freedom of movement.

Our Italian designs do all this, while retaining an essence of individuality about them. They elevate the individual wearing them, and, in so doing, the brand of the dental practice they represent.

 

“Uniforms are the first impression your patients have when they come to your practice. They help set the tone for their experience with you, and act as key conveyors of your brand values.”

Joanne Hunt, Pastelli UK