StrawberryFrog, the independent, full-service, creative advertising agency, is launching a high-impact campaign for Northwell Health across the New York City tristate region to promote the fact that Northwell Health features the most Top Doctors in America, based on Castle Connolly Top Doctors® 2024-2026.
Northwell operates in one of America’s most competitive healthcare markets. The brand campaign features real Northwell physicians and compares their skills and expertise with those of America’s most elite professional athletes. Like the most vaunted athletes, Northwell’s top doctors are at the top of their game, an idea brought to life in each of the six unique campaign videos. Each TV commercial opens with strong contrast—styled as a sports-related, athlete-like storyline, the spots reveal the stars are Northwell’s real top doctors.
“We wanted to celebrate Northwell’s top doctors the same way we celebrate elite athletes—because the skill, focus, and years of preparation behind the life-saving work done in the OR aren’t so different from what it takes to perform on the world’s biggest stages,” said Nick Sonderup, Chief Creative Officer, StrawberryFrog. “Every frame of this campaign was built around real physicians, not actors, so audiences feel the authenticity of what these doctors actually do. Castle Connolly’s recognition gave us the proof point, but the creative challenge was making that expertise feel as thrilling and human as it really is.”
The creative work–two :30s, four :15s that run across TV, OLV and social; plus five print ads and one OOH execution—launches July 20 on TV, OLV, online video, radio, social media, print, OOH. Each of the six video executions opens on close-up shots that signal athletes prepping for a big game, beads of sweat on foreheads, shoes being tied, or hands stretching, to name a few. The camera then pulls back to reveal these are not top athletes, but actually real Northwell doctors in their “uniforms,” a mix of scrubs and lab coats, donning their medical “equipment”. The tone of these spots aims to strike a balance between Northwell’s warmth, dedication to care, and the formidable, world-renowned nature of the work these doctors perform.
“As our campaign highlights; in healthcare there are critical moments when everything is on the line, and every second counts. That’s not just drama; that’s the reality our physicians face every day. They don’t run from those challenges; they break through them, because they’ve seen it all before,” said Ramon Soto, Northwell’s chief marketing and communications officer. “These messages are not just about grabbing attention or entertaining; it’s about educating. It’s about demonstrating Northwell’s relentless pursuit of medical innovation, driven by America’s top doctors, ensuring we’re constantly pushing the boundaries to deliver the trusted, life-changing care our communities deserve, year after year.”
In addition to the main message that “Northwell has more Top Doctors than any health system in America” (based on Castle Connolly Top Doctors® 2024-2026), which appears across all video, social, print, and OOH assets, the campaign highlights four additional pieces of evidence in support: clinical, recruiting, teaching, and research & innovation. Each is emphasized in an individual :15 and print ad. The clinical execution highlights that “Northwell has the most Top Doctors in America, taking on more of New York’s toughest cases” (Source: January-September 2024 inpatient SPARCS data, excluding newborns and neonatology). The recruiting execution touts that Northwell’s top doctors “don’t just end up here… they choose to be here”—Northwell’s top talent attracts other top talent. The teaching execution emphasizes that Northwell’s top doctors train the next generation of top doctors. And the research & innovation execution states that “top doctors don’t wait for breakthroughs. They make them.” Together, these four proof points explain the consumer benefit to those Northwell serves.
The “Top Doctors” campaign builds on the strategy behind Northwell’s “Raise Health” platform, founded on the brand’s “Better Health for All” corporate mission. Northwell’s clinical excellence and their offering of top physicians contribute to the health network’s strong positive impact on their communities and plays an important role in their “Raise Health” agenda.
StrawberryFrog has partnered with Northwell since 2019 as Agency Of Record and is responsible for the creative and strategy behind the “Raise Health” branding platform and “Better Health For All” corporate tagline. StrawberryFrog is a world-renowned integrated creative, media and technology agency. Founded in 1999, the agency is a proudly independent team of thinkers, makers, designers, entrepreneurs, data nerds and creative talent. Headquartered at the Empire State building, in the heart of New York City, the agency’s staff lives and works across the country and world. StrawberryFrog believes in the power of a big idea, and that modern advertising can be done at a world-class level with an agile and senior team.
