What drew an SNL director to our orthopedics campaign

Building on the successful launch of OrthoCarolina’s “A Better Choice” rebrand last fall, the Luquire team created the humorous “The Better Choice” campaign. Our scripts garnered the attention of Mike Bernstein, famed “Saturday Night Live” director and key ingredient to bring our campaign to life.

“A lot of brands and agencies don’t dabble in comedy, fearing the ‘unknown’ and risks associated with it, but comedy is a powerful and effective tool to get your message across. It’s disarming.”

SNL Director Mike Bernstein

Comedy works, even in (especially in?) healthcare

Using research and insights garnered from the initial campaign release, we developed unique ways to engage target audiences and drive awareness of OrthoCarolina as a brand, enhancing its overall value proposition for prospective patients. Our number one learning:

Comedy tapped into a marketing “white space” in the health care category.

Great ideas draw great talent

The comedic scripts also caught the attention Bernstein, who came on board to bring our ideas to life.

Bernstein worked alongside the Luquire team to film all three spots in just one day, which any industry professional will tell you is no small feat. He said he was not only captivated by the content itself but by OrthoCarolina’s willingness to lean into humor to penetrate a cluttered market.  

“Health care is a serious subject, and it often goes hand in hand with a sense of urgency, so what better way to cut through the noise and get your message across quickly than through comedy?” 

The spots will run on a variety of channels meant to capture the attention of the desired audiences, including cable, CTV, OLV and social channels like Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest. 

Take a look

One spot begins by showing a mountain biker who looks to be in the middle of the action talking about why he loves the trail (quietly adding “mix” under his breath), only for the camera to pan out to show he is actually stuck in a tree with branches protruding from his helmet and a pedal by his side. As the spot ends, you see his bike lofted in the tree behind him. 

Another spot begins with a proud mom lauding her young son who is on his way to becoming a professional soccer player. The camera pans to a child laying on the grass screaming that he broke his knee…cutting to another scene where he says he broke his collarbone…then to a continuous montage of screams and cries, all poking fun at the trope of soccer players exaggerating their injuries. In the final scene, the child, writhing on the ground in “pain,” quickly pops up, noting, “Nah, I can do better.”