description:  Research and strategic planning to develop branding for an organization. Hershey Philbin Associates conducted multiple focus groups and interviews both within the organization and with various external target audiences to determine current perceptions of the organization. We also tested a variety of branding concepts to ascertain their effectiveness within the markets. The research was used to develop a comprehensive positioning and branding strategy that would be applied to both operational and marketing aspects. "The effectiveness of the branding was ensured by the efforts expended in research. The data allowed us to be extremely confident in the branding strategy," Victoria Radabaugh said.