RVH Foundation Rallies Simcoe-Muskoka Residents to Help Them ‘Keep Life Wild’

Royal Victoria Regional Health Centre (RVH) Foundation has launched the first wave of advertising in a new $100 million fundraising effort that is the largest in Simcoe-Muskoka history.

Created by Toronto agency The Garden, which won the assignment earlier this year, 'Keep Life Wild', launched Oct. 31 and is running through the end of 2022 across broadcast, online video, out-of-home and direct mail.

The creative approach is based on the insight that Simcoe-Muskoka is a one-of-a-kind place to live in Ontario. From tractor pulls, to polar bear dips, and mountain biking, its residents embrace a free-spirited lifestyle built around a strong connection to the outdoors and each other.

It avoids typical medical fundraising imagery, such as people being treated by doctors and nurses. Instead, it celebrates the collective desire to live a full and healthy life—the kind that can only happen when you have access to top-notch healthcare like RVH, says The Garden’s co-founder and chief creative officer, Shane Ogilvie.

While there are some subtle references to healthcare in the campaign’s 45-second anchor spot, such as close-up shot of a scar above a man’s heart, or another man who’s lost his hair—possibly because of chemotherapy, the energetic and upbeat video puts the emphasis on people living life to the fullest amid the region’s natural beauty and local gathering spots.

The only overt acknowledgement to healthcare comes at the end of the dialogue-free spot, when a shot of a concerned looking woman breathing heavily after a bike ride is immediately followed by a shot of her continuing to breathe heavily while being examined by one of RVH’s medical professionals, as the super “To be wild…you have to be healthy” appears on screen.

“What I love about this campaign is that it shows empowerment,” adds Ogilvie. “It’s energetic, and optimistic, focusing on the benefits of great healthcare rather than just the need for great healthcare.”

The video is being supported by a series of out-of-home ads featuring people engaged in activities like skateboarding and canoeing, accompanied by headlines like “Less bedside. More wild side,” and “Sometimes fresh air isn’t the only medicine you’ll need.”

A direct mail piece features a lovingly crafted ode to why people choose to live in Simcoe-Muskoka, highlighting region-specific activities like skiing at Mount St. Louis Moonstone and sailing on Georgian Bay, before urging readers to fight to “Keep Life Wild.”

“People in Simcoe-Muskoka have a way of life of our own. Not only do we have a close relationship to and love of the outdoors, we have an untameable spirit – enthusiastically embracing all life has to offer” says Adrienne Clarke, VP Marketing and Donor Experience at RVH Foundation. “The Garden created a concept that deftly captures what makes living in Simcoe-Muskoka so special. It was a perfect way to talk about the need for world-class healthcare close to home – by showing the community what we’d miss out on if we don’t have it.”

RVH Foundation hired The Garden earlier this year, charging the agency with creative and strategic positioning for the fundraising effort for a multi-site expansion.