Hear about the development of the newest Nemours Children’s brand campaign, Reflections, which depicts the future of generations of children whose lives are positively impacted when social, cultural, and healthcare delivery barriers cease to exist. The campaign also serves as an invitation to every person and organization already on the journey to create the healthiest generations of children to come together to make full health and wellness a reality for every single child.
Carol Vassar, producer
Guests:
Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
Drew Landmeier, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Nemours Children’s Health
Shanky Das, Co-Founder and Chief Creative Officer, TILT
Subscribe, review or let your voice be heard at NemoursWellBeyond.org.
Nemours Children’s Health, Well Beyond Medicine Episode 23, Transcript
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (00:00):
Welcome to Well Beyond Medicine, the Nemours Children’s Health Podcast. Each week we’ll explore anything and everything related to the 80% of child health impacts that occur outside the doctor’s office.
I’m your host, Carol Vassar. And now that you’re here let’s go.
(00:20):
Music:
Let’s go, well beyond medicine
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (00:27):
We believe that it is the responsibility of all of us to create the healthiest generations of children and that the way healthcare is designed today, there really isn’t that great a benefit if we just continue to do things the same old way and just treating the disease without looking into some of those other things. And so we are trying to appeal to a variety of other individuals and groups that can also come on this journey with us to change and impact the health of children.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (01:07):
That’s Gina Altieri, Executive Vice President and Enterprise Chief Communications Officer for Nemours Children’s Health, articulating in her own words the vision and strategy of Nemours Children’s Health.
(01:22):
It’s a strategy built on convening stakeholders with similar goals about addressing the social determinants of health that prevent children from being fully well and together developing models that foster every child’s whole health and total wellness.
(01:38):
It’s also the center of a new Nemours campaign that launches on August 1st. Here’s a sample.
Narrator (01:45):
Who will he grow up to be? Well, that depends on all of us. That’s why, along with our groundbreaking medical care, Nemours Children’s Health supports programs that address issues like food insecurity and the resources essential to learning. It’s all part of creating a healthier future for all children so he can grow up to be whoever he wants to be.
(02:09):
Nemours Children’s Health: Well Beyond Medicine.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (02:13):
Here to talk about the new campaign in this podcast episode is Gina Altieri, along with Drew Landmeier, Nemours’ Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, and Shanky Das, Managing Partner, and Chief Creative Officer at Tilt, the agency that created the campaign.
(02:32):
It was 2019 when Nemours began the Well Beyond Medicine journey. Let’s hear about its evolution from then to now, beginning with Gina Altieri.
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (02:45):
Back in 2019, we started strategic planning for the organization because we had just received a brand new CEO. Our former CEO had retired, and Dr. Larry Moss came on board and really wanted us to transform how we think about children’s health and transform Nemours, for that matter.
(03:13):
He had a vision about going outside of medicine to help children everywhere. And so when we did this new strategy, he challenged us to be very aspirational.
(03:27):
And we thought that at that time if we were going to be making such radical changes to Nemours, we should probably rebrand ourselves so that it reflects this transformation. And so we embarked on the strategic planning with a strategic rebranding, and that brought us a new name, a new look, a new logo. And we did all of that with our partners at Tilt.
(03:57):
We kicked off the initial rebranding with an initial campaign, which was really about this new journey: where was Nemours Children’s and where are we trying to take it?
(04:10):
And so we’ve done all of that, and now it’s time to really get to, “Exactly what do you mean by Well Beyond Medicine, and how can I understand that as a consumer and why it should matter to me?” As well as a thought leader: “What should I be understanding about this new message?”
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (04:33):
And that really does encompass the evolution of the brand from 2021 to now.
(04:40):
Talk about this particular campaign. It is called Reflections.
(04:45):
Shanky, I’m going to turn to you. What does it involve, who does it involve?
Shanky Das, Tilt Story (04:49):
Well, it’s really directed at parents, right? But as Gina mentioned, the vision is to go beyond medicine. There’s clinical excellence, there’s technological advancements, there’s brilliant minds working to heal children within the walls, but there’s also so much more that children need to really grow up healthy outside of the walls, whether it’s the environment they live and work or play in, the schools they go to, the food they eat, the company they keep. And that really is the vision.
(05:20):
And this campaign called Reflections is a reflection really of the things we do today for children impacts who they grow up to be tomorrow. And therefore, this campaign, while it’s targeted at parents, it’s a call to action to the world in general, to the influencers of children to say that what we do today, the way we treat children today, not just inside the hospital but outside of it as well, will have a profound impact on how healthy they will be tomorrow. Because at the end of the day, we’re trying to raise the healthiest generation of children.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (05:57):
Drew, I’m going to turn to you. This Reflections campaign is really an extension of Well Beyond Medicine. Give us your thoughts on it.
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (06:06):
Carol, as we’ve met before, I’ve been with the organization just about a year now. And as I joined the organization, I was talking to parents, to associates, clinicians, and a lot of individuals were very excited for the promise of Well Beyond Medicine and what that meant. And truly, it’s part of the DNA of the organization. But through my discussions, I uncovered that individuals were still trying to understand and define what Well Beyond Medicine meant. And it really was that discussion with Tilt and our agency partners and Shanky to say, “What is the emotional connection?”
(06:49):
And a part of that emotional connection is parents; parents dreaming of what their children are growing up to be. Are they going to be a valuable member of society? Are they going to be a good parent? Are they going to be an astronaut? Could they be a librarian? You know, there’s a variety of different things that, as a parent sees their child master or succeed in a new skill or talent, you can’t help but wonder. And by really looking at this campaign, Reflections, it really leans into that hopefulness of parents and what the future can hold for their children. So it’s truly an opportunity to connect emotionally with consumers.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (07:35):
One of the things about this campaign that is pretty unique, and I believe it begins in August, is it delivers a very different message from what we’ve come to expect from children’s hospitals in general. There’s no mention of serious medical conditions and there are not pictures of hospitals or sick children.
(07:54):
Why did you decide to go in that direction? Focus on that message?
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (08:00):
I think we really wanted to focus on the hopefulness that parents have for the future. There’s a lot of things that parents are concerned with around the world, around our nation, and we wanted to break through and we wanted to provide a very positive approach and vision for the future and really give hope to parents that their children can make a significant difference in the future. And let’s take joy in what our children can become.
(08:26):
And as that children’s healthcare advocate, there’s no one better than Nemours to support them through all of our clinical locations, through our education programs, through kids’ health, as well as our advocacy in Washington DC in terms of how we’re influencing incredible legislation that’s going to support our own children.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (08:48):
Gina.
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (08:50):
So I agree with everything that Drew said because even Nemours as a single entity goes well beyond just providing medical care in pediatrician’s offices or specialist’s offices or in hospitals. As you mentioned, Drew, we have other ways in which we help children grow up healthy.
(09:13):
But we also recognize that we can’t do this alone. There’s a lot of things that need to change about healthcare today to impact the health of children in the future. And, of course, the fact that these children become adults, right? And so, there is an economic factor to having productive adults, and that starts in childhood.
(09:37):
And so for all those reasons, our first strategic pillar as part of our strategy is health, value, and equity. And it talks about how the reimbursement model needs to change and how our own thought process needs to change as far as just continuing to bring children for care and not really looking at the preventative or the other things that impact that care.
(10:08):
And so that really does encompass Well Beyond Medicine; helping in every way that we can to impact the health of children.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (10:19):
I’m curious about associates and how they see themselves in this campaign. And then, from the broader perspective, how can healthcare professionals across the nation really see themselves in this campaign?
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (10:34):
So I’d really want associates to be as excited about this campaign as I know Drew and I and Shanky and the team are. It is a very uplifting campaign. I really would like our associates to engage and become the brand ambassadors that we need them to be. This is a big lift. It’s different than our previous messages. It is inspirational. And it does recognize the work that our associates do every day.
(11:07):
And I’ve been with Nemours for a long time. 25 years. They always go beyond their specific job description, and they really do provide the care and caring that’s needed all the time, every child, every time.
(11:28):
You know, we have actually had a process where we had our associates speak to examples of what Well Beyond Medicine meant to them, and they shared all the different things that they do that really isn’t in the job description, but they do it because they care.
(11:47):
The associates that we have at Nemours are spectacular, and the care and the caring that they demonstrate every day comes through all the time, whether it’s fitting in a child into a schedule that’s already booked or making sure that they have the resources that they need when they go home or something else that they recognize that could help the child. They really do things like that all the time. And we wanted to highlight a lot of that in addition to speaking to those things that perhaps we don’t impact directly, but we all need to be aware of the impact that things may have on the health of a child.
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (12:30):
If I could also add, I really think that this supports retention within the organization and pride. I know that as I have toured the many different locations throughout the enterprise, nothing gives me more satisfaction than hearing a parent, whether I’m at Chipotle or a grocery store and they see the Nemours logo, and they feel that they need to share and communicate.
(12:58):
I had a recent example when I was in Delaware, and a parent stopped me as I was coming in, and I was conversing about the weather in Jacksonville. And the gentleman came up to me, and he expressed that his child was there being cared for by the excellent clinicians in Delaware, And he was there from Jacksonville. And he said how incredible this organization is that we were able to provide resources to him and his family to care appropriately for his child. And he showed me pictures.
(13:28):
And those are the things that this brand campaign, this Reflections campaign, is really meant to communicate. And from a retention standpoint and from even individuals looking at joining Nemours, this is the type of understanding and excitement that we want to generate through this campaign.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (13:48):
There are stories that have really inspired this campaign. Let’s talk about some of those.
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (13:55):
No, absolutely.
(13:56):
One in particular is a patient who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was two years old, and he had gone through our cancer care services. And again, he was so thankful for the care that he had. He, of course, has been cured of leukemia. And because of that impact, he, as an adult, just entered medical school.
(14:22):
So what a tremendous impact that this can have. And truly demonstrates how we impact the lives of children through clinical care and through education and good nutrition can impact the life of that child. And now he’s going to be able to pass it on to other children or patients that he’ll be caring for in the future.
(14:44):
That’s just one example.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (14:47):
Shanky, what was it like working with some of these patients?
Shanky Das, Tilt Story (14:50):
Yeah, I mean, you go through all of these stories, and it is overwhelming in a good way, in an emotional way. I’m a father myself, so it all becomes very personal.
(15:00):
You know, the world of creative and advertising, you sometimes are working with products or services that have little emotion in them, but you have to build in emotion. And Nemours and what Nemours does and the subject matter of children and what they go through, and as Drew and Gina mentioned, some of the associates and what they go through to help these children, it sometimes becomes, I would say, very difficult to extract yourself from that reality.
(15:28):
And that’s particularly why, if you think of what we are all trying to do here in Nemours, is trying to say that within the walls and outside of the walls, the clinical versus the nonclinical, everything put together essentially leads to a happy child and a happy future.
(15:44):
And that’s why the optimistic spin of this campaign to say that we want it to be uplifting, we want it to make people feel like this is the right way to do it, this is the right way to really change a child’s life, it should put a smile on your face. Because at the end of the day, that’s what Nemours does. If everything’s done right, it puts a smile on your face. And that’s what the Reflections campaign really is about.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (16:06):
And a lot of this is long-term work. Nemours is really staking out new territory, going all in on reducing health disparities, breaking down barriers to care delivery, conducting research that benefits children, not just at Nemours but across the nation, across the world. It is going to take years and years for the fruits of all of this to really be born out. Why is Nemours willing to take a leadership role in this way to work well beyond its walls and really make sure that this is not just done in the short term, but continues for the long term?
(16:44):
Gina.
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (16:45):
We believe that it is the responsibility of all of us to create the healthiest generations of children. And that the way healthcare is designed today, there really isn’t that great a benefit if we just continue to do things the same old way and just treating the disease without looking into some of those other things.
(17:10):
And so we are trying to appeal to a variety of other individuals and groups that can also come on this journey with us to change and impact the health of children.
(17:25):
I do want to be clear that we are not changing our focus as a healthcare organization. We are still in the business of providing the highest quality care, a variety of specialties, building teams of experts that also conduct funded research, world renowned. This is just, in a sense, in addition to clinical and academic preeminence, to look beyond what healthcare can do so that all of us understand we can all impact children in a better, more effective way.
(18:03):
And you’re right, it’s going to take a long time, but the more people or organizations that join in this crusade, maybe it will shorten some of that time.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (18:16):
Drew, how does this campaign reflect that Nemours is doubling down its efforts to create that healthiest generation of children that we all want?
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (18:24):
You know, I think it’s the optimism. At the end of the day, parents, especially when they’re dealing with children who have a unique or chronic situation, they are looking for the best and brightest minds. They want the top care for their children. They want to do what’s best for their child. Our core mission is to care for children clinically, and we have those experts, we have the academic affiliations, we have the research, and that is truly doubling down on that effort. But the Reflections campaign is just providing that storytelling ability for parents to understand and connect with what we’re trying to do, but still remain uplifting and very positive.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (19:12):
Ultimately, in the end, I’m a parent. I’m a grandparent. There are healthcare providers listening today, others who are leaders in healthcare. What do you want them to take away from this? What’s my call to action, and what’s the call to action for anyone who might see this campaign?
Gina Altieri, Nemours Children’s Health (19:28):
I would like them to recognize Nemours Children’s Health and what we have to offer in that we provide the highest quality care, and we can treat their child not just in our service areas but virtually. I want them to understand that we have a strong brand, one that they can really relate to, that they’re intrigued by this Well Beyond Medicine, and they’d like to know more: “It sounds like the right thing to do, and I would like to get behind that with this really great organization.”
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (20:08):
Drew.
Drew Landmeier, Nemours Children’s Health (20:08):
We do have another extension that is focused on the thought leaders and change-makers, and that is as equally important to educate clinicians, pediatricians, pediatric specialists, adult specialists in terms of our expertise and how we can provide care and support to children who need that specialized care. And that takes a different campaign, and we are taking a different approach because that has to be more thought-provoking and really breaking through that clutter that speaks specifically to that unique audience. And it has a different call to action.
(20:51):
So again, not every consumer campaign can do that heavy lift. And it’s not so much a heavy lift in a negative approach. It’s just we are going to take a bifurcated approach and utilize two different vehicles and two different messages; one for consumers and then one for those thought leaders, clinicians, and changemaker audience.
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (21:14):
And Shanky.
Shanky Das, Tilt Story (21:15):
Yeah, I think the one last thing I’ll say actually is the biggest scale of Well Beyond Medicine. I mean, it’s a big story. It’s an unusual story. And to Gina’s point, we’ve gone where nobody has probably had … I don’t know if the term is courage, but hasn’t gone before. And that’s going to take time to seed because it’s a whole new way of looking at things, it’s a whole new way of doing things. So Well Beyond Medicine is just the first articulation of crystallizing a concept that the world is not used to.
(21:45):
Now, when you put all of these different pieces together, and you see how they’re approaching and delivering and how they want the world to adopt that for not themselves but for the good of children, then it’s a differentiator. Because most hospitals will want to say, “We are the best.” And in their own way, they all are. They are looking out for children. But not everybody … Like if everybody’s the best, what makes us different? Well, how we go out there and how we are doing things, changing the focus from us to children, that’s what makes us different.
(22:17):
So it’s going to take some time, it’s going to take continuous dialogue, continuous campaign, stay the course. That would be my recommendation. It’s a tough story; it’s going to take some time, but when it takes off, it’ll take Nemours well beyond anything that they’ve seen so far.
(22:33):
Music
Well beyond medicine
Carol Vassar, podcast host/producer (22:37):
Thanks for listening to our conversation on the new Reflections campaign with me, Carol Vassar, and our guests, Gina Altieri, Drew Landmeier, and Shanky Das.
(22:46):
Well Beyond Medicine means something slightly different to everyone, but what does it mean to you? Let us know by leaving a voicemail at nemourswellbeyond.org. That’s nemourswellbeyond.org.
(22:59):
While you’re there, check out our other episodes, subscribe to the podcast, and leave a review.
(23:05):
Thanks to Che Parker, Cheryl Munn, and Susan Masucci for production assistance this week.
(23:10):
Join us next time as we talk with Dr. Brian Alverson, Nemours’ Residency Program Director. Until then, remember, together, we can change children’s health for good Well Beyond Medicine.
(23:21):
Music
Well beyond medicine!
