Penn Medicine is first then, first now
As America turns 250, Penn Medicine celebrates 275 years of firsts, and a national campaign by Yard NYC.
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As America’s 250th birthday approaches, not many brands can say they are older than the United States itself. Penn Medicine can, as it was founded in 1751, well before the country was established.
This year, they’ve partnered with Yard NYC to celebrate that legacy and raise awareness at a moment when Philadelphia takes center stage. The First Then, First Now brand campaign underscores that Penn Medicine has always been, and will continue to be an innovator and leading institution in the field of medicine and research.
"Our own Pennsylvania Hospital laid the foundation for American medicine when it opened in 1751, and 275 years later, across Penn Medicine, we continue that work through pioneering research and care that change lives and redefine what's possible. With the country marking 250 years and the world's attention turning to Philadelphia, this is the right moment to connect where we began to where we are headed," said Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, the clinical enterprise of Penn Medicine.
Credits
View on- Agency Yard/New York
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Credits
powered by- Agency Yard/New York
Pennsylvania Hospital was the first hospital in the country, and soon after, in 1765, the nation’s first medical school opened at the University of Pennsylvania to aspiring doctors. Penn Medicine has been leading the way in “firsts” ever since, from opening the country’s first maternity ward and developing the first x-ray image ever produced, to creating mRNA vaccine technology and CAR T cell therapy. These milestones and more are highlighted in a 60 second spot inspired by Penn Medicine’s history of life-saving breakthroughs.
“Penn Medicine has 250+ years of breakthroughs, but most of that history lives in archives, handwritten letters, surgical sketches, research journals, and diagrams,” said Ruth Bernstein at Yard NYC. “We were inspired by this vast collection of real artifacts to turn the archive itself into our storytelling medium: a living scrapbook that traces the path of medical progress—and Penn Medicine’s important role in that progress.”
Media agencies Craft & Commerce and MayoSeitz Media strategically placed campaign executions in high profile media placements: instead of repeating one message, each placement demonstrates a key moment in Penn Medicine’s rich histor, each built from genuine archival source material. OOH creative took the form of a city-wide scrapbook, from bus wraps to baggage claim and subway platforms, leading to moments of discovery around Philadelphia like an art installation. The film brings scrapbook art direction to life, juxtaposed against a powerful brand narrative, animating scenes that tell the story of its history of firsts.
Comprehensively, the campaign is rolling out now across broadcast, digital, OOH, print, search and audio, both locally and nationally in key markets through August. Yard NYC has been an agency partner of Penn Medicine since earning the business in a competitive pitch process in 2022.
