RWJBarnabas Health has introduced its first holiday campaign focusing on themes of health, community and shared traditions, emphasizing the meaningful moments that define the holiday season in New Jersey. The campaign was developed in collaboration with StrawberryFrog, an award-winning advertising agency.
The campaign’s strategy centers on connecting with New Jersey families in the places and moments that matter most during the holidays. As the largest healthcare provider in the state, RWJBarnabas Health aims to show up in the everyday spaces where people already gather.
“We are telling a holiday story about the people of New Jersey—it’s a bit of a holiday love letter,” said Brian Deffaa, chief marketing officer at RWJBarnabas Health. “The spot feels like a film and highlights iconic New Jersey—celebrating those moments with friends and family that make one’s health so important this time of year. During the holiday season, nobody wants a heavy kind of spot. We wanted to be light, bring a smile and remind people why you want to stay healthy.”
It was filmed in Nutley, Clifton and Montclair, the film uses a local cast of New Jerseyans to convey authenticity.
“With this campaign, we wanted to bottle up the spirit of New Jersey during the holidays—the humor, the hustle, the heart,” said Tyler DeAngelo, chief creative officer at StrawberryFrog. “Every story told, from ordering Taylor Ham at a diner to sitting around Nonna’s table for the seven fishes, is a celebration of the traditions that make this state so uniquely vibrant. RWJBarnabas Health plays a central role in helping our communities live those long, connected, meaningful lives. This campaign celebrates that spirit with warmth, nostalgia and just the right amount of Jersey attitude.”
The fully integrated campaign features a two-minute film running digitally with :30 and :15 airing across NJ broadcast and radio. A holiday sponsorship on News12 will run a :90 spot throughout the season. OOH placements will be seen by holiday travelers throughout the state and in transit hubs along NJ Transit and Path stations.
The campaign will also be featured at Santa displays throughout New Jersey malls.
The commercial was directed by The Hudson Dusters, who stated, “the holidays are the best time of the year in the tri-state. From the city decorated to a tee and everyone out in the streets bundled up to Jersey, where they decorate their homes and towns to the nines. The excitement is in the air at businesses, homes and diners. We loved creating an authentic spot for the folks of Jersey, some of the most prideful people in the country, who keep holiday tradition alive in a major way. We wanted the characters to be real. If you live in Jersey, you know them, they’re you, your neighbor, or at the diner down the block from you. We wanted it to be relatable and fun, just like the holidays should be. We’ve lived in the tri-state for our entire adult lives, so it’s a film we loved putting together, as we too live next door and down the street to this world.”
The campaign drives to a landing page, rwjbh.org/holiday, where audiences can view the film, behind-the-scenes content, and support a holiday wish list for the children at RWJBarnabas Health’s Children’s Health network.
