The Stay Amazing campaign from Havas New York and NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) has always centered on telling the real patient stories of New Yorkers and they recently added another compelling narrative to the mix.
At the tail end of 2022, the two organizations released a one-minute spot featuring Ramit Malhorta, a 28-year-old patient who suffered a stroke weeks before his wedding date.
Fortunately, Malhorta was rushed to NYP, where doctors administered life-saving treatment. Malhorta has now resumed his active, pre-surgery lifestyle thanks to the care he received at NYP.
The campaign’s ad has the feel of a documentary, incorporating visuals from the hospital, including the lead doctor who treated Malhorta, as well as sounds and scenes from an Indian wedding throughout.
Stay Amazing was launched in November 2021 and serves as NYP’s first brand campaign in a decade.
The campaign has the classic trademarks of a health system advertising, focusing on real patient stories to maximize the impact with audiences. However, both organizations have found that telling compelling stories of individual perseverance and resilience amid health problems is the most effective approach.
“Storytelling has always been a part of the DNA of the institution. But in the past, it was a patient sort of telling their story while talking into a camera, and the imagery was black-and-white,” Devika Mathrani, SVP and chief marketing and communications officer at NYP, told MM+M in September. “We wanted to evolve that same idea because it’s a way to emotionally connect with consumers. It is this idea of ‘show me, don’t tell me.’ Actually seeing it told through the eyes of a patient makes it much more real.”
That’s why Stay Amazing has featured a litany of New York stories ranging from a pediatric patient overcoming heart disease to chase a dream as a fashion designer, as well as a veteran firefighter who received care at NYP after finding out his heart was in failure.
Over the summer, Stay Amazing also released a 30-second feature promoting its sports medicine specialists for athletes and those who exercise recreationally.
This isn’t the first “Stay” campaign between NYP and Havas New York, a 2022 MM+M Agency 100 honoree.
Last spring, the two organizations collaborated on Stay Brooklyn, a campaign to remind Brooklynites that quality care is available nearby as well as More Amazing, More Westchester, reminding patients that NYP’s services are available beyond the Big Apple.
