Newton-Wellesley Hospital is a small, but more-than-capable community hospital in the suburbs of Boston, Ma.

As part of Partners HealthCare (a Boston-based non-profit hospital and physicians network) the hospital shares a system with Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital—two organizations recognized as among the best in the world.

PROBLEM

When Partner’s tapped Newton-Wellesley to be another flagship of the system, and further penetrate crucial markets across greater Boston communities, they had giants watching their every move.

OPPORTUNITY

Newton-Wellesley's new President Dr. Michael Jaff—a practicing vascular specialist—understood the challenge placed before him and attacked it head on.

Together with seasoned marketing healthcare specialist John Looney, Dr. Jaff wanted to carve a new, distinctive and compelling brand in the hypercompetitive Boston marketplace. One that could elevate Newton-Wellesley and Partners.

That’s when they came to us.

“Our campaign couldn’t be vanilla. It couldn’t be expected,” said Looney. “We needed to plant a flag that set us apart. 
If the first concept I saw was the same old hospital ad, I told Franklin Street that Dr. Jaff would end the presentation. 
It’s that important. Whatever idea you bring to us, it better make my people very uncomfortable.”

DIAGNOSIS

With Dr. Jaff’s bold directive as inspiration, we went to work.

 Onsite interviews revealed this was more than a hospital. It was a group of inspired entrepreneurs—never satisfied with the status quo, always looking to find a better way.

They were the living brand. They simply needed a rallying cry that would echo Dr. Jaff and his staff’s commitment to better medicine, and share it with the world.

PRESCRIPTION

In early 2017, our “Find a better way” campaign launched.

It was a challenge to Newton-Wellseley’s staff, and a promise to patients, all wrapped up into a powerful brand platform that captured their unrelenting quest to improve healthcare.

Packed with traffic-stopping headlines, and captivating visuals, the campaign tapped into the insights of everyone who benefited from the sentiment: physicians, nurses, associates, donors and most importantly…patients.

RESULT

The bold, new brand didn’t just elevate Newton-Wellesley. It elevated the conversation of healthcare as a whole in the region. It even challenged some of the thinking at Partners HealthCare. At unveiling, many executives responded with statements like “Wow. This isn’t what I expected. It’s an impressive stake in the ground.”

Most importantly, the campaign defined Newton-Wellsely’s identity. It serves as a compass for employees and patients, and provides a roadmap to success for years to come.