Jeff Alter, CEO of Sound Physicians, faced that tension head-on. Leading a 400-site medical group, he had to unite clinical and business leaders around a brand refresh that some saw as risky. His approach transformed internal hesitation into alignment, and even won over the finance office.

Key Takeaways

Turn ‘brand restlessness’ into creative fuel. Alter spotted unease among his team about how the old brand no longer reflected who they’d become. Instead of resisting it, he used that tension to build momentum for change. Make finance your partner, not your obstacle. As a former CFO himself, Alter reframed the rebrand as a growth investment—not an expense. He focused the conversation on long-term revenue and market positioning rather than design costs. Take emotion out of the room with data and inclusion. By involving staff from physicians to nurses and using research, Sound Physicians defused personal bias and replaced opinion battles with evidence. Restlessness is a sign to evolve, not retreat

Alter noticed that employees and leaders alike felt uneasy about how the brand no longer reflected their growth. Instead of dismissing that discomfort, he treated it as a sign that change was needed, saying, “If you can create a restlessness that says, ‘Yeah, that doesn’t fit anymore,’ you can work through those ups and downs of people holding onto the past but knowing the future might look a little different.”

That willingness to lean into and explore the discomfort gave his team permission to work towards something new together.

Talk finance like a strategist, not a storyteller.

As a former CFO, Alter reframed the brand refresh as a business case, not a creative wish list. He kept the conversation focused on the growth potential and market positioning, linking brand equity to the organization’s broader revenue goals.

“Continue to have the CFO feel like it’s not an expense, it’s an investment… the same way you would invest in IT or in people and training.”

Getting their CFO on board went far in building momentum internally.

When emotions run high, bring the data in.

Rebrands often stall because everyone has an opinion. Sound Physicians brought in Digitas to anchor the process in research and patient perception, helping teams focus on facts rather than preferences. Alter recalls, “Their ability to bring focus groups and market research – the facts -took a little of the emotion out of the room. It helped get consensus and buy-in.”

That outside perspective, anchored in real data, freed the Sound Physicians team to make bolder ones.

Finding Unity in the Restlessness

By channeling unease into insight, reframing budgets as investments, and grounding creativity in data, Alter and the team at Sound Physicians proved that brand change doesn’t have to divide. It can unify.

Learn more about Sound Physicians at https://www.soundphysicians.com/