Claxton-Hepburn Medical Center has been providing care in rural, upstate New York for more than 130 years. But due to a struggling economy and competition from a rival academic medical center, the hospital’s patient volumes had decreased, and employee-morale had plummeted.

DIAGNOSIS

Franklin Street was asked to re-energize the brand—with a bold rallying cry that could change beliefs inside and outside the hospital.

PRESCRIPTION

Our ‘Tomorrow is Worth Defending’ campaign repositioned negative words into strong characteristics. 

The bold headlines celebrated employees for their tenacity, and connected with the community’s tough, working-class patients.

The campaign empowered staff to take on these personas and rewarded them when they lived the Claxton-Hepburn brand.

RESULT

Despite layoffs in previous years, employee engagement improved, patient volumes returned, and the CEO cites the campaign as a contributing factor in the hospital’s shift from financial loss to profitability.

Now Claxton-Hepburn isn’t just defending tomorrow—they’re looking forward to it.