2024 Winner
Public Service Best of Show
GoldBest Integrated Campaign
GoldBest in Print Platforms
GoldBest in Consumer Engagement
North York General Hospital Foundation
"What No One Tells You
When You're Expecting"
Courage
"What No One Tells You
When You're Expecting"
Courage
In 2023, the North York General Hospital Foundation announced an ambitious goal to raise $32 million to build a new birthing center that matches the quality of care it provides. This fundraising goal was especially ambitious given North York General is located in Canada’s most competitive fundraising city and most sought after donors.
Within a 20 kilometer proximity to North York General there are several of Canada’s biggest fundraisers. To mention a few, SickKids Foundation who are on track to secure 1.3 Billion dollars in donations, the University Health Network which is Canada's biggest hospital network foundation bringing in north of $230 Million per year, and other hospitals like Sunnybrook and Markham Stouffville who are similar in size and located very close to North York General and its community.
The agency’s task was to put North York General on the map as a leader in labour and delivery care competing with the biggest fundraisers in Canada, starting by growing the brand’s donor pool and generating donation leads for the new birthing center.
The cross-functional team working on this project had a mix of birthing experiences at different times and with different storylines. But whether it was the younger members on the team who just gave birth or the older ones who had given birth many years prior, everyone related to one thing: they all felt unprepared to give birth and were unaware of all the realities that come with it.
That’s because traditional books like “What to expect when you’re expecting” feel clinical and impersonal, leaving out the emotion, the rawness, the taboo of pregnancy and childbirth.
When you get to the delivery room and beyond, there are many surprises coming your way – from the fact that the epidural can make you itchy, to it being completely normal if your baby looks bluish/gray when they’re born. This realization landed the agency to their insight – despite the sea of pregnancy books out there, most expecting parents still feel utterly alone and unprepared for their experience.
Although the agency landed at an interesting insight, because the brand was so much smaller than the fundraising competition, they needed to avoid the standard approach to lead generation.
In healthcare, the majority of lead generation campaigns are ‘basic’: a banner ad, an opt-in, a patient story followed by a CTA that says ‘hear more about what happens here’.
The agency’s goal was to create a campaign with high engagement, and to get people whether they live in North York or not to engage with the hospital and better understand its role in their lives
and community.
So they came up with a print idea that has never been done by hospitals in the past. They tapped into untold, raw truths that no one knows about giving birth, and developed “What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting”.
This would be a first of its kind book from a hospital to help new parents know what to really expect when they’re expecting, from real experiences and real parents. The agency then designed those personal anecdotes with custom illustrations that made them more human and relatable.
The agency put out a call for submissions using social, OOH, and in-hospital ad placements. Then, they selected the most relevant to create our 150-page book, complete with vibrant colours and beautiful, custom illustrations that brought the submissions to life. They made the book available to all new parents at North York General Hospital, in OB offices, and sold it through the biggest
book distributor: Amazon.
Parents immediately resonated with the initiative, garnering thousands submissions in the first month.
When it was time to launch the book, the agency leveraged an earned media first approach to bolster the conversation and spread the word. They also distributed the book to key influencers who they knew the content of the book would resonate with.
The book was a first of its kind in this sector. They used the beautifully designed book to then become the look and feel of the campaign in OOH and other “print” channels.
After its release, “What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting” debuted at number one on Amazon’s Pregnancy & Childbirth bestseller list and was the number one most gifted book in the category. Since then, the book has remained on both lists, signaling a particular resonance among Canadian expecting parents and caregivers.
Most importantly, the book exceeded the brand’s key objectives.
It delivered a staggering 300% increase in donor leads at 15.3K new donor emails. The campaign also sparked interest among top tier new on top shows including Your Morning, CBC, and Canada’s longest running show for women: Cityline.
Within a 20 kilometer proximity to North York General there are several of Canada’s biggest fundraisers. To mention a few, SickKids Foundation who are on track to secure 1.3 Billion dollars in donations, the University Health Network which is Canada's biggest hospital network foundation bringing in north of $230 Million per year, and other hospitals like Sunnybrook and Markham Stouffville who are similar in size and located very close to North York General and its community.
The agency’s task was to put North York General on the map as a leader in labour and delivery care competing with the biggest fundraisers in Canada, starting by growing the brand’s donor pool and generating donation leads for the new birthing center.
The cross-functional team working on this project had a mix of birthing experiences at different times and with different storylines. But whether it was the younger members on the team who just gave birth or the older ones who had given birth many years prior, everyone related to one thing: they all felt unprepared to give birth and were unaware of all the realities that come with it.
That’s because traditional books like “What to expect when you’re expecting” feel clinical and impersonal, leaving out the emotion, the rawness, the taboo of pregnancy and childbirth.
When you get to the delivery room and beyond, there are many surprises coming your way – from the fact that the epidural can make you itchy, to it being completely normal if your baby looks bluish/gray when they’re born. This realization landed the agency to their insight – despite the sea of pregnancy books out there, most expecting parents still feel utterly alone and unprepared for their experience.
Although the agency landed at an interesting insight, because the brand was so much smaller than the fundraising competition, they needed to avoid the standard approach to lead generation.
In healthcare, the majority of lead generation campaigns are ‘basic’: a banner ad, an opt-in, a patient story followed by a CTA that says ‘hear more about what happens here’.
The agency’s goal was to create a campaign with high engagement, and to get people whether they live in North York or not to engage with the hospital and better understand its role in their lives
and community.
So they came up with a print idea that has never been done by hospitals in the past. They tapped into untold, raw truths that no one knows about giving birth, and developed “What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting”.
This would be a first of its kind book from a hospital to help new parents know what to really expect when they’re expecting, from real experiences and real parents. The agency then designed those personal anecdotes with custom illustrations that made them more human and relatable.
The agency put out a call for submissions using social, OOH, and in-hospital ad placements. Then, they selected the most relevant to create our 150-page book, complete with vibrant colours and beautiful, custom illustrations that brought the submissions to life. They made the book available to all new parents at North York General Hospital, in OB offices, and sold it through the biggest
book distributor: Amazon.
Parents immediately resonated with the initiative, garnering thousands submissions in the first month.
When it was time to launch the book, the agency leveraged an earned media first approach to bolster the conversation and spread the word. They also distributed the book to key influencers who they knew the content of the book would resonate with.
The book was a first of its kind in this sector. They used the beautifully designed book to then become the look and feel of the campaign in OOH and other “print” channels.
After its release, “What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting” debuted at number one on Amazon’s Pregnancy & Childbirth bestseller list and was the number one most gifted book in the category. Since then, the book has remained on both lists, signaling a particular resonance among Canadian expecting parents and caregivers.
Most importantly, the book exceeded the brand’s key objectives.
It delivered a staggering 300% increase in donor leads at 15.3K new donor emails. The campaign also sparked interest among top tier new on top shows including Your Morning, CBC, and Canada’s longest running show for women: Cityline.
Credits
Client: North York General FoundationPresident & CEO: Seanna Millar
Chief Marketing & Communications Officer: Ya Shan Waley
Chief Communications Officer: Janine Hopkins
Director, Marketing & Communications: Lori D’Amore
Sr Specialist, Digital & Graphic Design: Cody Brifoglio
Agency: Courage Inc.
President: Niki Sahni
Chief Creative Officer Joel Holtby
Chief Creative Officer: Dhaval Bhatt
Chief Strategy Officer: Tom Kenny
Creative Director/ Copywriter: Domenique Raso
Creative Director/ Art Director: Cindy Marie Navarro
Designer: Marina Khouzam
Executive Director of Development: Shannon Miller
Group Strategy Director: Rami Dudin
Account Director: Kat Ledgett
Account Executive: Darita Odobo
Executive Producer: Clair Galea
Agency Print Producer: Sharon Langlotz
Agency Producer: Rachel D’Ercole
Editor: Marcus Barrie
Illustrations: Hesty Reps
Illustrator: Emilie Muszczak
Managing Partner, Hesty Reps: Lisa Batke
Studio: MH Studio
Director Client Strategy: Phu Pham
Integrated Project Manager: Morgan Chan
Printer: Flash Reproduction
Project Manager: Cathay Gario Kocevski
Video + Print Production
Production Company: Westside Studio
Director / Photographer: Teaunna Gray
Executive Producer: Ellie Winston
Video Production - New Parent Shoot
Production Company: Creator One Productions
Executive Producer / Director: Jordan De Guzman
Transfer: Alter Ego
Executive Producer: Hilda Periera
Colorist: Lily Henry
Audio: Vapor Music
Managing Partner: Lindsey Bates
Media
Digital Media: Other
Founding Partner: Nick Moretta
Associate Director Performance Media: Rio Maligaya-Small
OOH Media: Outfront Media
PR: Middle Child
Managing Director: Sean Citrigno
Vice President: Gillian DiCesare
Account Manager: Sophia Naprawa
Senior Account Executive: Madeline Seale
Senior Account Executive: Charlotte Hefner