For New York-based hospital system Montefiore-Einstein, creative agency Alto New York turned out this “Canyon of Heroes” campaign to thank healthcare workers who are on the frontline during the pandemic. Canyon of Heroes–a reference to historic NY’s Broadway–is where ticker tape parades are held to honor heroes of all stripes, commemorating such events as the end of World War II, the winning of sports championships, walking on the moon and other major achievements. While a ticker tape parade isn’t doable during this time of social isolation, Alto decided to extend a Canyon of Heroes celebration across NY with this campaign.
Centerpiece of the campaign is this spot, which also is making a bit of history, being the first ad campaign to use Alicia Keys’/Jay Z’s “Empire State of Mind.” The song carries a deep meaning during the virus crisis as it’s played every time healthcare teams at Montefiore Einstein hospitals discharge a patient. There’s a little parade–like at other hospitals–as patients exit the building, and it’s shared on social media.
Other campaign elements include a digital tool and murals. The latter comes from famed street artist Tristan Eaton whose work live in MoMA and who’s known for his large scale mural work. His murals are going up outside of Montefiore hospitals, down the Canyon and across the city.
The digital tool (nursesareheroes.org) allows healthcare workers to put themselves directly into the campaign via Eaton’s art, through a custom photo feature, and gives their families and friends a chance to honor them across social media with a personal digital ticker tape parade.
