Helping Northern Light Health Navigate Covid Communications
November 30, 2023
Written By:
Carol Quinn
When I told my parents I was going to major in digital art, my decision was met with echoing questions:
“What even is that?”
“How are you going to make a living?”
Now 10 years out of college and as the Senior Digital Art Director at Karsh Hagan, I understand that these questions aren’t far from what we hear from prospects and clients on a daily basis.
“What is digital art, and how can it help our brand’s advertising strategy?” Let’s start from the top.
What is Digital Art?
Digital art is an artistic work or practice that uses digital technology as part of the creative or presentation process.
Digital art is all around us. It’s everywhere we look. From movies like Pixar’s ‘Toy Story’ to apps like Instagram, digital art has introduced modes of storytelling that were once impossible, making it a valuable and limitless tool for advertising.
Why is Digital Art a Successful Marketing Tactic?
Now, more than ever, we’re a visually driven society. It’s no coincidence that we’re naturally drawn to images, when you consider that 90% of the information processed by the brain is visual, and that our brain processes images 60,000 times faster than text. The brain’s preference for images even impacts how memory is formed as 80% of people remember what they see, compared to 20 percent of what they read. That makes digital art an especially important tactic for brands looking to create a campaign that’s as efficient as it is impactful.
What is the Difference Between Digital Art and Traditional Art?
When it comes to advertising, the difference between digital art and traditional art is simple. There are no gatekeepers. Anyone with a phone in their pocket and a little bit of creativity can create and share their art. Unlike the billboards or magazines of the past, online apps allow artists to instantly publish their work for free for all to see.
The success of digital art within that context comes down to ROI. Delivering the highest return on your investment requires the ability to measure, analyze, and adapt your strategy – it requires the ability to learn. Digital art is iterative and efficient – allowing us to easily track engagement rates that let us fail fast, tweak, and refine. We can then use that information to employ data-proven digital art across all marketing channels, ultimately delivering a product that best serves your brand and your audience.
How You Can Use Digital Art In Brand Advertising
At Karsh Hagan, we have used our understanding to create beautiful and effective marketing campaigns for our clients. For VISIT DENVER we created an immersive world that targeted convention planners all over the country. We created three unique videos, using 2.5D animation. These videos were seen by over 462,610 people and counting! Check out the work here:
At Karsh Hagan, we have used our understanding to create beautiful and effective marketing campaigns for our clients. For VISIT DENVER we created an immersive world that targeted convention planners all over the country. We created three unique videos, using 2.5D animation. These videos were seen by over 462,610 people and counting! Check out the work here:
On March 15, 2020, the governor of Maine declared a Civil State of Emergency, recommending, among other things, the postponement of all non-urgent medical procedures, elective surgeries, and appointments at hospitals and health care providers across the state until further notice.
As one of the largest healthcare providers in Maine, Northern Light Health (NLH) needed to act quickly to connect with their patients during the pandemic.
That’s where Karsh Hagan stepped in.
The first step for our integrated, cross-departmental team was to develop a messaging strategy grounded in our existing “Maine Made Us” campaign, reinforcing to Mainers that we were in this together, and that NLH would remain present in their lives, no matter the circumstances.
We quickly developed new ads to remind Mainers how to be safe and take precautions during the “stay at home” order. We were able to leverage existing images and footage, as the underlying communication didn’t change: Northern Light Health is here to help keep you healthy and living the Maine lifestyle. Messaging spanned print, digital, social, and video advertising, and was in the market as quickly as March 22.
PROVIDING CARE FROM THE COMFORT OF HOME
As it became clear that the pandemic was worsening, NLH was anxious to expand and promote a somewhat unknown service that the system offers – Telehealth.
Telehealth allows patients and their physicians to communicate via secure video chat, providing patients with the care that they need from the comfort of their own home.
Again, the Karsh Hagan team quickly developed messaging around this innovative tool and its benefits.
Though Mainers were being asked to stay home, NLH reinforced the importance of ongoing care – and delivered, not only with remote healthcare options, but also (and again) helping Mainers with the resources to keep living their lives. Telehealth ads were produced for print, radio, video, digital, and social channels, and went live in mid-April.
RE-OPENING THE STATE
On May 1, the governor announced a phased approach to re-opening the state of Maine, with the first phase allowing non-emergent but essential medical procedures and a return to some routine medical appointments that had previously been put on hold. Now we were faced with a new question: how do we encourage patients to return to Northern Light Health facilities when, just weeks ago, they were asked to stay away?
A DATA-DRIVEN APPROACH
Recent consumer mindset studies told us that patients are wary to return to healthcare facilities, for a number of reasons: Will it be safe? Will I come in contact with COVID-19 patients? Will I be “stealing” appointments from those in greater need?
Fortunately, research also told us that physicians and other healthcare professionals are currently among the most trusted sources of information.
Leveraging those learnings, plus the understanding that consumers were overwhelmingly looking for straightforward, no-fluff communication, we shifted gears and developed a new campaign specific to the current situation. Rather than featuring the beauty of the state and the love of the Maine lifestyle, we focused on facts.
GROUNDED IN NORTHERN LIGHT HEALTH’S DNA
The resulting campaign is “Our Promise.” We haven’t left “Maine Made Us” behind, but we use it as a closing thought, versus the lead. The straightforward and no-nonsense disposition of Mainers comes across here, as we very clearly lay out Northern Light Health’s points of promise for a safe return to their facilities – while reminding patients that their care shouldn’t wait.
THE ART OF REMOTE PRODUCTION
Though Karsh Hagan has produced countless campaigns, “Our Promise” was a first for us, as we made it remotely.
We weren’t able to attend the production in person, given travel and other COVID-related restrictions, but we found a production partner in NLH. They have a talented videography/photography team on staff, and they were happy and willing to lend their services to this effort.
Within a few days of kick-off, the NLH team visited and captured assets at five different locations within the system. The Karsh Hagan team was able to review footage on a daily basis and provide feedback and direction from afar. It was a true demonstration of integration and teamwork.
The “Our Promise” campaign launched across the state on June 8.
LOOKING AHEAD
And our work doesn’t end here, as we’re diving into messaging and strategy development for the next phase of communication – continuing to welcome patients, assuring them that NLH is here for them with flexible care options, and reminding them that together, Maine Made Us Stronger.
