“Never-Ending Ad Campaign”

It’s been a challenging time in healthcare. So when Sutter Health and its ad agency, Barrett, began planning its fall 2022 advertising campaign, they decided to highlight the system’s high-quality personal care and salute the hardworking employees and physicians who provide that care. And who better to share their commitment and pride than the doctors, nurses, and other employees themselves?

“The people who can tell Sutter Health’s story the best are our own people,” says Jim Macksood, Sutter’s vice president of marketing. “They have an innate sense of commitment and compassion toward the people we serve, and they take such pride in the work we do.”

Advertising agency Barrett has created the “Never-Ending Ad Campaign,” a new marketing campaign for Sutter Health, a not-for-profit integrated healthcare system serving more than three million patients across Northern California.

The work launched on September 28 and run on broadcast, streaming VOD (Hulu, CBS, FLX, NBC), streaming audio, terrestrial radio, social (Facebook, Instagram), and OOH. The TV will focus on sports, primetime, and news stations in Northern California.

Barrett employs “Goodfellas”-style one-take cinematography in the spots, which include one long-form ad, three :30, and six :15 executions, show some of the breadth of Sutter’s healthcare services and hint at the human stories that happen within their facilities every day by featuring actual Sutter employees and affiliated doctors along with professional actors.

The spots end with the campaign line “It’s a thousand things, big and small.”

“The ‘Never-Ending’ segment is an homage to Sutter’s relentless commitment to providing the best patient care, in ways big and small, every day,” says Jamie Barrett, chief creative director at Barrett.

Set in a hospital hallway, the creative was designed to feel like one continuous take. As it begins, the camera is tracking a doctor who’s explaining that Sutter is the recipient of 21 awards from the American Heart Association, then switches to a nurse the doctor passes, who holds up a drawing to show that the hospital receives high marks “from our best patients, too.”

Some stories featured were inspired by real-life patient experiences: Two men talking about their new hearts were based on real patients who became friends while waiting for heart transplants. A neonatal intensive care unit scene was inspired by the true stories of preemies born up to 16 weeks early who are now kids. A mammogram technologist’s family history with breast cancer inspired her to enter the medical field. All doctors, nurses and staff with speaking roles are actual Sutter employees.

The spots were directed by Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated director Jake Scott and are accompanied by the original song “We Got Us” from Bay Area band Geographer.