Moving North York General Hospital Campaign Captures Life in the Blink of an Eye

When life changes in the blink of an eye, it’s important to have a compassionate,  reliable community of support to help you navigate it all. North York General Hospital (NYGH), the #1 community academic hospital in Canada, one of the country’s top five hospitals and among the top 50 hospitals in the world, is underscoring the importance of exceptional quality, expertise and kindness in health care with a stirring new brand campaign.

A short film titled 'Blink,' created in partnership with Toronto-based agency Courage Inc. and directed by Oscar- and Emmy-nominated filmmaker Hubert Davis (Folktale Films), leads the new campaign. The :90 brand spot chronicles the emotional life cycle from the perspective of a mother as she watches her daughter, Emma. Each blink introduces a glimpse of a new milestone, from Emma’s joyous birth to the mother’s own challenging battle with breast cancer. 

“We loved the idea of telling a beautiful story of someone’s life through quick little blinks in time,” says Domenique Raso, creative director at Courage. “And when we think of life’s most important blinks, a trusted hospital is really at the core of most of them. It made for a compelling and emotional story that everyone immediately gravitated to from the day we presented the idea.” 

As viewers witness each milestone, they are also seeing NYGH’s world-class, comprehensive care at work. From birth in the birthing centre to treatment in the only accredited breast cancer program in Canada, North York General is there to provide quality care and support for all generations. 

“Empathy, kindness and compassion are central to the care provided at North York General, said Ya Shan Waley, North York General Foundation’s chief marketing and communications officer. “We were so excited to collaborate on an idea that not only took this to heart, but made it the core of the campaign. This included featuring real physicians, nurses and clinicians from the hospital in the campaign to capture the humanity of North York General in an authentic way. We saw this as an opportunity to celebrate the communities we serve and showcase that we’re here to provide exceptional care and unmatched kindness from birth and throughout life.”

The new campaign continues the creative relationship between NYGH and Courage, which resulted in the release of bestselling pregnancy and childbirth book, What No One Tells You When You’re Expecting, in October 2023. The book was made in support of North York General Foundation’s $22 million fundraising effort to modernize their birthing centre into a space that matches their renowned care. Rebel & Thorn will be supporting media and Middle Child PR will be supporting the campaign through media relations and influencers. 

'Blink' will run on Connected TV and YouTube while the campaign sees additional support through paid social, digital OOH, TSAs, Cineplex Value Add, and print.