Pulse check
Penn State Health
Design Strategy
It’s no secret that the pandemic disrupted healthcare workers in ways that are still affecting and influencing their decisions.
the challengeBreak through a sea of recruitment messaging from a host of competitors in a crowded market.
the goalIncrease the number of qualified recruiting leads for nurses, lab technicians, and respiratory therapists.
the approachEmpathize and humanize the messaging, while positing the differentiating benefits PSH offers.
We created several potential campaign concepts. The first one eschewed the typical “crowd of nurses” on billboards and zoomed in to see the real emotion of one individual.
Looking forward, post pandemic
With messaging that didn’t evade emotions, memories and concerns born of pandemic experiences, we sought to also point toward a path forward, to greater growth, new signing benefits, and a refreshed team culture.
Pulse check
The second concept stepped outside the typical recruitment comfort zone of multiple worker photos. Instead we focused on gaining a moment of marketshare when readers paused and compared their current role with what PSH could offer.
The PSU connection
Penn State Health’s brand is intrinsically tied to Penn State University’s brand. Our first attempt to leverage this connection was concise and intriguing; however it didn’t have the necessary “true-to-life” representation our strategy research indicated we should lean into.
PSH and you
The winning concept did leverage the PSU connection. Every Central Pennsylvanian knows the “We Are” chant PSU football evokes. We added a slight twist—”With you, we are”, i.e. only with our healthcare workers is PSH vibrant and at the top of their game.
The winning team
Custom photo shoots of nurses, lab techs, and respiratory therapists, interacting and performing their roles, complete with factoids that painted a picture of the individual, would become the imagery that underscored the messaging.
