Lifespan unveils new ad campaign featuring Rhode Islanders

A SCREEN SHOT from one of Lifespan's new television commercials showing Rhode Islanders. / COURTESY LIFESPAN
A SCREEN SHOT from one of Lifespan's new television commercials showing Rhode Islanders. / COURTESY LIFESPAN

PROVIDENCE – A child climbing a tree, another frolicking in a pumpkin patch, a boy playing the drums, a baby and mother sleeping, a woman with cancer playing a game with friends, a man splitting wood, the word “life” … they are all images used in Lifespan’s latest advertising campaign.

Launched at the beginning of January, the new television ad campaign focuses on life moments, showing “real Rhode Islanders doing Rhode Island things,” according to Jane Bruno, vice president of marketing and communications.

Real-life moments from the most mundane to the most exciting were used, she explained.
“We really wanted to use real people. We wanted to be about the community, for the community, so the community would embrace it, and what better way to show that than showing real people in their real lives,” Bruno said in a recent interview.

“It’s about being there for all people … whether it’s a medical moment or a life moment. We want to help people live the best life they can,” Bruno added.

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Dr. Timothy J. Babineau said that in the past, Lifespan had ad campaigns focusing on individual hospitals.

He explained that four years ago, when he became CEO, Lifespan’s mission as an integrated health care delivery system “irrespective of street address” became the focus, and the new campaign reflects that.

“We really have become the health care system of choice,” Babineau said, adding it “was time to bring the name Lifespan, the brand Lifespan and the concept of integration” together.

He noted the system has approximately 14,000 employees and touches nearly 600,000 people annually.

Bruno said the campaign, which also includes outdoor advertisements, print and social media, is expected to run for 18-24 months. Print ads do not feature local residents, she said.

Babineau said the ads convey that Lifespan is “so much more” than a system of hospitals where people go when they are sick – for example, he said the system offers wellness, community outreach and psychiatric care.

The campaign is catching on – Bruno said they are already hearing “some buzz.” Babineau said he’s also had positive feedback.

“It’s the first campaign I can remember getting unsolicited emails,” Babineau said.
Bruno said the campaign’s goal is to make Lifespan “top of mind for all things health care-related.”

She said they used two local agencies on the campaign – Nail Communications in Providence and Gnarly Bay in Westerly. She did not divulge the cost of the campaign, saying it is proprietary information.

The last advertising campaign was three years ago, a hospital representative said.

In late November, Lifespan’s website also was revamped as part of the effort and reorganized with consumer expectations in mind, Bruno said. The home page features tabs for Lifespan locations, centers and services, conditions and treatments, finding a doctor, news and events, and popular links.

The Lifespan system includes Rhode Island Hospital, Hasbro Children’s Hospital, The Miriam Hospital, Bradley Hospital, Newport Hospital and Gateway Healthcare. The system also is affiliated with The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University.


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