J. Walter Thompson in New York had film crews ready and waiting at Long Island Jewish Medical Center in Queens on New Year's Eve to capture the hospital's first birth of the year—for a TV spot it rolled out just hours later for Northwell Health.
Check out the spot below, which introduces viewers to Austin Joseph, a boy born just 36 seconds after midnight on New Year's Day. The tender moments between mother and child were "captured in real time, inserted into the TV ad and broadcast within hours of the birth," the healthcare marketer said in a statement.
Austin isn't the only new arrival here. The spot also announces the rebranding of the former North Shore-LIJ Health System as Northwell Health—that's how the concept was born.
"The birth of a new healthcare system dedicated to a new standard in care deserves more than just another hospital campaign. It's not just advertising; it's news," said Eric Weisberg, executive creative director at J. Walter Thompson New York.
"Across all media channels, 'Look North' challenges people to discover the unique breakthroughs in care happening throughout Northwell Health, and it would not have been possible without the unprecedented collaboration, partnership and vision of the Northwell teams."
It's not a totally new idea, of course. Fisher-Price made that impressive "Wishes for Baby" spot a year ago, showing New Year's newborns in 10 hospitals in seven countries. But it's still a sweet idea, and an apt one for this evolving brand.
"Look North" is Northwell's first brand campaign in five years and the biggest marketing push in the 25-year history of the 21-hospital health system. The "Happy Birthday" ad will air on New York area broadcast stations including WABC, WNBC, WCBS and WPIX, with a print version running this week in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal and other publications.