The sounds are the first things the viewer notices in new advertisements for NYU Langone Health’s neurology and neurosurgery services.

In one spot, which is 60-seconds long and titled A N.Y Minute, a clock ticks as the viewer learns the consequences of a stroke being untreated for even one minute. 

In another, Flight Simulation, the viewer hears what sounds like a heart monitor as hospital staff rehearse for brain surgery. 

Deloitte Digital, the agency behind the #TheBestOutcomes campaign, described the videos as films rather than commercials. That’s because advertisements, particularly in the healthcare sector, are often “telling a brand message rather than creating or evoking an emotional feeling,” said Aaron Sidorov, Deloitte group creative director. 

“[The campaign emphasizes] all of those elements of grit and humanity so that people could leave this feeling the importance of not only the people behind the work at NYU Langone…but leave [viewing the ad] feeling the importance of making the decision to choose NYU Langone should you need stroke care or brain surgery,” he said.

The campaign debuted in 2022. This year, A N.Y. Minute rolled out regionally during the Super Bowl pregame show. It also aired during the Academy Awards regionally. Flight Simulation aired regionally during the Grammy Awards. 

By showing advertisements during awards season, the medical network aimed to share them “similarly to how you would see films roll out,” Sidorov said.

A N.Y. Minute opens with someone tying a running shoe and looking at a watch. Elsewhere, an ambulance takes off as New York buzzes. The spot shows scenes of the care Langone Health staff provide to a stroke victim. It informs viewers that 2 million brain cells die forever each minute that a stroke goes untreated, according to an American Heart Association study. 

The hospital system also aired the ad in Times Square because, given its emphasis on speed, “we thought it was really important to debut that film in the heart of New York, in the busiest part of New York,” Sidorov said. 

A N.Y. Minute includes real emergency medical technician and Flight Simulation features Dr. Anthony Frempong-Boadu, a Langone neurosurgeon. 

In Flight Simulation, a Langone crew prepares for a surgery by looking at a 3D model of a patient’s brain. 

Sidorov said the creatives wanted the film to sound like a trip through outer space. 

“Some of that beeping you’re hearing on the machines is both true to the machine [and] the sounds you would hear in that operating and rehearsal space but also reminiscent of sounds you would hear in space exploration,” Sidorov said. 

A N.Y. Minute included a shot of the Empire State Building, which the agency lit in purple for the shoot to match the Langone logo color. The skyscraper’s Twitter account shared the video and wrote “proud to be featured here with our neighbor, NYU Langone #StrokeAwareness.”

The agency shot the films on the hospital grounds and included scenes from New York, Sidorov said, because “we really wanted to capture the authenticity and grit of New York and the authenticity and grit of this health system.”