St. Joseph Healthcare

Challenge- When we won this account, St. Joseph was third, behind don’t know, in a market with three major healthcare offerings. The system was run by nuns. Nuns we quickly learned, no longer wear habits. They are incredibly educated. They are business savvy. They are confident and strong women who do not appreciate stereotypes and SNL type parodies of their calling. 

That said, in order to communicate the faith-based aspect of St. Joseph Healthcare as a powerful point of difference in our largely catholic target audience, we knew we needed our spokeswoman to not only wear a habit, but also put herself in some unconventional situations in order to connect. “Sister Rosalie” had to be instantly recognizable as a nun. She would need a strong, warm personality and be instantly likable. After the board reluctantly embraced this stereotypical character- work began. 

We then focused on the most unique aspects of the hospital’s offerings and highlighted them strategically. The campaign put St. Joseph in second place in a market where number one was outspending us 10 to 1. This effort continued for several years eventually including the launch of the first PPO in the country. 

St. Joseph Healthcare, Healthcare you can have faith in.