Creative production agency Avocados and Coconuts produced a new brand campaign for SimplePractice, the all-in-one practice management platform for health and wellness providers. Titled “Help On,” the campaign marks a new tone for the SimplePractice brand, reminding clients of the many ways it helps “private practices help on.” It launched online and on social.
Avocados and Coconuts director Matthew Palmer helmed the hero film, which highlights features within SimplePractice’s new Plans and Packaging (PnP) launch. The :90 film is a playful slice-of-life, revealing how a touch of SimplePractice magic makes any practitioner’s job easier with more time to enjoy life outside work. In one scene, for instance, a practitioner has time to meditate and relax at home between sessions; in another, a practitioner enjoys the option of group appointments and telehealth as his kitchen animatedly comes to life around him with a coffee machine self-brewing and toast popping out of the toaster.
Other key Plus features highlighted in the spots include calendar colour-coding, structured client waitlist, admin calendar events, and income allocation reports to help practitioners with organisation, balance, teamwork, and growth – all with equally charming touches.
“SimplePractice is focused on simplifying private practice for therapists and helping the helpers help on,” said Evelyn Borgatta, SimplePractice head of brand. “The goal of this campaign was to highlight all the key new features and benefits added to the Plus plan and encourage customers with lower-tiered plans to upgrade.”
“To show the value of SimplePractice, we wanted to take a whimsical approach to the everyday application of our product,” said Alex Solarte, SimplePractice creative director. “To demonstrate what it ‘feels’ like to have your life made simpler in an almost magical way.”
“We leaned into magical realism but in a grounded world through casting, art direction, lensing, lighting, and practical effects,” added Matthew. “While we took a fun visual approach, we still needed to maintain respect for their clientele, who work in behavioural health and other related fields.”
According to Matthew, each scene needed to feel personal to the featured character, which required mapping out each shot and heavy production design planning to find locations that could work for multiple scenes. Using practical effects also allowed the actors to interact with the environments naturally.
“We envisioned a cinematic, real-world feel with slightly askew elements,” explained Matthew. “The cast immediately understood the nuanced performances and everyday lived-in worlds we created on set. With our camera movements and slightly wider lenses, we found energy by embracing the slightly enchanting moments but always tied it to the brand.”
Matthew also directed a separate psychiatry-focused version titled “Prescribe On.” The video uses moments of delight and practical effects to showcase features such as ePrescribe, streamlined notes and documentation, and easier invoicing and payments. Given the more serious nature of the psychiatry audience, the spot maintains touches of playfulness from the hero video but with a more grounded tone through less exaggerated camera movements, longer lenses, and a muted colour palette.
“We had incredible synergy with the SimplePractice team, who trusted our ideas and instincts from the start,” concluded Matthew. “This campaign proves you can bring fun and colour to a complex product story. So, hats off to SimplePractice for taking creative risks and embracing fresh storytelling to connect with their customers and convey the true value of their platform.”