<a href="http://www.darklightpictures.com.“>Dark Light Pictures director Gil Cope has directed a handsome, new campaign for Chicago’s Rush University Medical Center announcing a 14-story hospital opening this month. Conceived by SPM Marketing & Communications, the spots feature intimate portraits of doctors and nurses discussing the new facility and what it means for the community and its healthcare.
The spots build on an ongoing Rush campaign centering on clinicians in close conversations, but broaden the message to highlight features of the new hospital. “The hospital has a stunning physical design that is seen through spectacular helicopter shots of the exterior,” explains SPM’s executive creative director Rick Korzeniowski. “And though the advertising is still very conversational, we went to great lengths to make sure, in virtually every shot, you see glimpses of the building. That was a big departure from what we’ve done in the past.”
“The way we use our clinicians has made our ads very recognizable in the community,” adds Rush Associate Vice President of Marketing Lori Allen. “But this year’s campaign adds a new musical arrangement and striking images of the building that together send the message that something new and important is going on.”
The television spots are supported by a companion print and an out-of-home campaign that includes transit and unique bus shelters, whose photography was also shot by Cope. The print ads offer more detail on some of the hospital’s innovative features. “The print has a look that is similar to the broadcast work but it tells a different story,” notes Cope, who has been involved in creating ads for Rush for eight years. “They focus on aspects of the building that are unique and distinguish it from other hospitals in the area.”
SPM Marketing & Communications’ creative team, led by creative director Bob Konold, and <a href="http://www.darklightpictures.com.“>Dark Light Pictures have been collaborating with Rush on its advertising campaigns for more than eight years. “It’s been a wonderful partnership,” says SPM managing partner Patti Winegar. “The new ads are the latest in a series of campaigns that have provided Rush with a distinctive brand identity and strong brand recognition in the Chicago market.”
Cope and his crew spent six days at the new hospital shooting live action and print elements. That effort involved a number of logistical challenges, in part, because the hospital was still under construction. “We had to work around parts of the building that were unfinished,” notes Korzeniowski. “Rush staff were incredibly cooperative and bent over backwards to ensure that Gil and our team had everything they needed. That allowed us to show off the building in its best light.”
Cope also had to work around the schedules of the talent—many of whom were busy working physicians. “Gil’s experience in shooting in hospitals is invaluable,” says Korzeniowski. “When shooting in a working hospital environment, so many things have to fall into place—particularly when you are using real doctors and other staff. They may be coming from or going to surgery.
“We’ve got to be locked and loaded so that we can get them in and out on schedule. We can’t have them waiting around for hours. Those are issues you don’t normally face when you’re shooting on a stage or other location.”
Having Cope shoot for both broadcast and print had obvious practical advantages in terms of saving time and costs. There were also important creative benefits. “The print and broadcast are very closely connected in this campaign, so it just made sense to have one person do both,” Korzeniowski says. “It makes the integration work. Having Gil involved in everything makes it all more coherent…and easier to do.”
The result is a fully integrated campaign that sends a clear message about Rush University Medical Center. “The new campaign does a beautiful job at communicating what’s unique about Rush,” Allen concludes. “It fits well with our brand and shows that our doctors and staff are very approachable. It helps people see that there’s something different here.”
Although Cope’s advertising work encompasses a wide variety of subjects, the director says that he has a special passion for hospitals. “We’re promoting a service that saves people’s lives,” he says. “It’s very rewarding to think that these ads may inspire people to come to this building to get the care that they need.”
Credits
Titles: Butterfly Design
Client: Rush University Medical Center
Agency: SPM Marketing & Communications, La Grange, Illinois.
Larry Margolis, managing partner; Patti Winegar, manager partner; Rick Korzeniowski, executive creative director.
Production: <a href="http://www.darklightpictures.com.“>Dark Light Pictures.
Gil Cope, director/cameraman; Vince Arcaro, executive producer.
About <a href="http://www.darklightpictures.com.“>Dark Light Pictures
Over the past 17 years <a href="http://www.darklightpictures.com.“>Dark Light Pictures has established itself as a problem solving resource for television advertisers, motion picture marketing teams, and producers of feature films and television specials.
As a leading producer of television commercials Dark Light has created effective, imaginative advertising for some of the most influential advertisers in the country including The Coca Cola Company, Budweiser, Tylenol, Reebok, AT&T, UPS, Perrier, Boeing, Unilever, US Coast Guard, Honda, and The University of Southern California.
In the world of motion picture advertising, Dark Light has produced and filmed live action material for countless teaser trailer and motion poster campaigns including War of the Worlds, Mission Impossible III, The Other Guys, and Salt.
For more information, call (323) 460-2077 or visit www.darklightpictures.com.
