Visium marketing the business can actually manage
In brief
Visium is one of Ukraine’s largest ophthalmology chains: adult and pediatric ophthalmology, microsurgery, an education academy and the ambition to scale. In a multi-clinic medical business, marketing has to be tied to operations, service, founders’ decisions, the CMO’s work and the patient experience. When those parts are disconnected, the brand looks busy and the business struggles to steer it.
Key insight
We became the CEO’s and CMO’s partner where business meets marketing
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01 · Challenge
Strategic misalignment
Business goals, marketing, brand, agencies and patient experience each lived on their own. Plenty of activity, little control.
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02 · Role
Partner to the CEO and CMO
Weekly strategy sessions: priorities, decisions, ownership and control over results.
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03 · Result
A management framework
Goals tied closer to business results, a team with clear ownership, and management with transparent reporting.
Stage 1
Diagnostics
Misalignment
The brand looked busy, yet it was hard to manage
We started with a marketing audit: diving into the business, talking to the team, reviewing reports, processes and contractors. Each area below is a gap we found and the solution we used to close it.
Business goals
0 of 6 zones aligned
Marketing function
GapTasks scattered across different boards, with no single plan or activity calendar.
FixClear ownership: a plan by stream, roles, KPIs and incentives for each person.
Reporting
GapChannel reports didn’t add up to a full picture: no trends and no link to business results.
FixA reporting structure: what management sees, what the CMO sees, what each stream sees; activities kept apart from results.
Agencies and contractors
GapContractors worked “for the process”, and their KPIs were mixed with tasks that depended on the client.
FixContractor KPIs cover only what they control; clear briefs and sync points.
Patient experience
GapThe patient journey wasn’t mapped, so it was invisible where anxiety arises and where clarity is missing.
FixMystery shopping and a CJM: 12 journey stages, anxiety points and a solution for each.
Positioning
GapThe brand was easy to reduce to equipment and procedures — like everyone else.
FixA system of competitive advantages: “With us, it’s safer to make decisions about your vision.”
Brand
GapThe identity was being refreshed without a decision framework or a shared vision among the founders.
FixFacilitation: from goals to logo, a choice the founders aligned on, a rollout plan for the chain.
Stage 2
Management
Goals
Business goals became the language of marketing
We helped the team translate business goals into marketing terms: what exactly marketing should support, which tasks come first and which metrics matter for management. Together with the CMO we shaped the department’s incentive logic, so marketing delivers a clear business effect instead of sheer volume of work.
Reporting
Reporting became a management tool
We structured the approach to reporting: what data management needs, what the CMO should see, how to tell activities from results and how to make marketing transparent for management.
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Managementchain-level decisions
- new patients
- revenue from marketing
- acquisition cost
- branded search
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CMOfunnel management
- bookings by channel
- cost per booking
- week-over-week trends
- dips by city
- plan vs. actual
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Streamsday-to-day work
- reach and engagement
- campaigns
- SEO tasks
- content plan
Activity
- posts published
- campaigns launched
- new banners
- pages updated
Result
- new bookings
- repeat visits
- cost per booking
- branded search
Format
Every week — from data to decisions
DataChannel reports, bookings, trends by city — ready before the meeting.
AnalysisWhat worked, where the funnel dips and why.
DecisionsPriorities for the week: what we do, what we put on hold.
OwnershipWho does what and by when: team, agencies, contractors.
ReviewWhat changed — and what goes into the next iteration.
Weekly strategy sessions with the CEO and CMO — regular marketing management in place of ad hoc decisions.
Stage 3
Patient and value
Patient journey
We saw the clinic through the patient’s eyes
We traced how a patient moves from first contact to the experience inside the clinic: ran mystery shopping and pinpointed where anxiety arises, where clarity is missing and which touchpoints shape trust and decisions.
- Anxiety
- Lack of clarity
- Trust decision
01 · Before the visit
Awareness
The patient first hears about the clinic
Trust decision
Touchpointssearch, maps, ads, signage, referrals
Expectationsa good reputation and a modern feel
02 · Before the visit
Consideration
Compares clinics and reads reviews
Lack of clarity
Touchpointswebsite, map listing, reviews, social media
Expectationshonest reviews, clear services and prices
03 · Before the visit
Booking
Makes a decision and books
Lack of clarity
Touchpointsonline form, phone, front desk
Expectationsquick confirmation and a convenient time
04 · Before the visit
Preparation
Receives reminders and instructions
Lack of clarity
TouchpointsSMS, messengers, phone call
Expectationswhat to bring and how to get there
05 · At the clinic
Arrival
Arrives at the clinic
Anxiety
Touchpointsfacade, reception, wayfinding
Expectationseasy to find, a polite welcome
06 · At the clinic
Waiting
Waits for the appointment
Anxiety
Touchpointswaiting area, front desk
Expectationsa wait of up to 15 minutes and an explanation for delays
07 · At the clinic
Appointment
Goes through diagnostics and a consultation
Anxiety
Touchpointsdoctor, nurse, equipment
Expectationsattention to complaints, a clear explanation, honesty
08 · At the clinic
Next steps
Gets a plan
Lack of clarity
Touchpointsdoctor, front desk, recommendations
Expectationsclarity: what’s next and when the next visit is
09 · At the clinic
Payment
Pays for services
Trust decision
Touchpointscashier, front desk
Expectationsa transparent total with no surprises
10 · At the clinic
Departure
Leaves the clinic
Lack of clarity
Touchpointsfront desk, documents
Expectationsgratitude, care, clarity
11 · After
Follow-up
Receives results and reminders
Trust decision
TouchpointsSMS, messengers, phone call
Expectationsresults, reminders, a request for a review
12 · After
Return
Comes back or recommends the clinic
Trust decision
Touchpointsonline booking, contact center, loyalty program
Expectationsan easy way to come back
Value
We found value beyond the equipment
In medicine, people choose what feels safer. So instead of hunting for a unique feature, we built a system of competitive advantages around the patient’s main fear — and every advantage comes with proof the patient can feel for themselves.
The patient’s main fear“I’m afraid of a misdiagnosis and a decision whose consequences will stay with me for life”
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Responsibility is never diluted
- one owner for the entire journey
- consistent patient follow-through
- context carries over between visits
- predictable service
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You’re safe with us on a human level
- a sense of control
- no rush
- a calm tone
- a feeling of being free from judgment
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The patient is part of the process
- explanations in plain language
- a clear action plan
- room to revisit a decision
- a clear logic for next steps
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You’re treated reasonably
- zero pressure toward surgery
- clear: needed / optional / unnecessary
- decisions made together with the patient
- no scare tactics about deadlines
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Decisions are evidence-based
- a full set of data from multiple devices
- complete diagnostics
- documented results
- an option for a second opinion
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There’s a system here
- an examination protocol
- a standardized patient route
- a fixed scope of diagnostics
- the same logic across all branches
Systematic ophthalmology with zero experimenting on patients
With us, it’s safer to make decisions about your vision
“Really, there’s no risk here I wasn’t warned about”
Stage 4
Brand
Identity
Logo ≠ brand. First — who we are
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Request
We need new clients
That’s where the task began.
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Decision 1
Let’s update the website
To raise conversion.
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Decision 2
Let’s update the design
To look modern.
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Question
First — who we are
Without positioning, a new website and logo are just new packaging. So the order is: goals → segments → strategy → positioning → identity.
We facilitated the identity work
The identity itself was designed by a design agency. We helped Visium and the agency run the process strategically: refining decisions, aligning expectations and facilitating the founders’ choice of logo — guided by questions: which goals should the changes achieve, how will we measure the rebrand’s success, does the mark match the brand’s tone.
Next came rolling the new identity out across the chain: what to update right away and what to phase in, how signage, offline materials and new branches move over within a single brand.
Result
Visium got a clear management framework for marketing. Goals moved closer to business results, the CMO got a framework for the team’s work, incentives and reporting, and management got a clear way to assess marketing performance.
On top of that: more structured work with agencies, sharper positioning and competitive advantages, a mapped patient journey, an agreed process for rolling out the identity, and a logic for growing the chain’s locations within a single brand.
What we’ll do for you
A strategic marketing partner for the CEO and CMO
For when there’s plenty of marketing and little control over it. We’ll work alongside the owner and the marketing director: translate business goals into marketing terms, build ownership, reporting and regular management — and look at the brand through the customer’s eyes.
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01 Diagnostics An audit of marketing and the gaps between business and brand. -
02 Management Goals, KPIs, incentives, reporting, weekly sessions. -
03 Value Customer journey, competitive advantages, brand.
Team
- Agency
- DOGMA
- Role
- Strategic marketing partner to the CEO and CMO
- Scope
- Marketing audit, goals and KPIs, incentive logic, reporting structure, weekly strategy sessions, CX audit and mystery shopping, competitive advantage system, identity facilitation, agency management
- Client
- Visium
