luquire nabs SNL director for humor-driven healthcare marketing campaign
Building on the successful launch of OrthoCarolina’s “A Better Choice” rebrand last fall, and armed with robust insights on how OrthoCarolina, one of the nation’s leading orthopedic and sports medicine providers, could stand out in a cluttered healthcare marketing category, the luquire team created the humorous “The Better Choice” campaign, which hit airwaves this week.
The campaign carries many foundational similarities to the original creative content, which debuted in target markets last September. But the new work leans even more aggressively into playful, cheeky humor, a differentiator in a marketing category where content most often takes on a serious – or even ominous – tone.
The spots didn’t just use humor for humor’s sake, though. The luquire team deliberately chose the comedic route as a strategic approach to take control of an untapped “white space” in healthcare marketing. Using research and insights garnered from the initial campaign release, the team was able to develop unique ways to engage target audiences and drive awareness of OrthoCarolina as a brand, concurrently enhancing its overall value proposition for prospective patients.
In fact, the scripts – developed by members of luquire’s creative team – were so funny they drew the attention of famed “Saturday Night Live” director Mike Bernstein, who 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. Bernstein said he was not only captivated by the content itself but by OrthoCarolina’s willingness to lean into humor to penetrate a cluttered market.
“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,” said Bernstein. “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 focus on two of OrthoCarolina’s desired audience demographics: active adults and parents of active school-aged kids. The work showcases relatable – though perhaps slightly exaggerated – stories to connect with prospective patients and enhance recognition and memorability of the OrthoCarolina brand. Each spot highlights the fact that while consumers have a choice when it comes to their health care, there is only one better choice for orthopedic services: OrthoCarolina.
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.”
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.
The creative and media teams’ work will be supplemented by luquire’s public relations efforts to highlight the most important takeaway from the campaign: You, too, can be a professional soccer player if you practice (wailing on the ground in pain) hard enough…Or, the second most important takeaway: with nationally recognized surgical experts focused specifically on orthopedics specialties and sub-specialties, OrthoCarolina is THE better choice for care that’s better at every step.
