• by Larissa Faw , March 14, 2016

Gundersen Health System and its agency Preston Kelly are introducing the "Love + Medicine" campaign to set the integrated health provider apart from its competitors that primarily promote medical excellence alone by emphasizing its human touch.

Three TV spots illustrate this balance between caring and medicine. “Balloons,” for instance, shows an uncooperative child who covers the bandage on his side with crossed arms. His nurse blows up a rubber glove to create a balloon, and before you know it, the distracted boy is having his bandage removed by the doctor.

Meanwhile, “Hands” shows a mother making small talk with a nurse as she waits for a biopsy procedure to begin and the nurse gently taking her hand as the exam starts. And “Glasses” tells the story of an 83-year-old patient whose optometrist helps her try on different pairs of glasses in the front seat of her car so she doesn’t have to get out in Wisconsin’s sub-zero temperatures. "’Glasses’ was an outdoor shoot," says Chris Preston, EVP/creative director, Preston Kelly. "They were afraid it would be too cold, but it ended up being too warm. They kept shoveling snow on the account supervisor's car to make it look cold, but it kept melting. It wasn't cold enough to see your breath that day, so that was added in post-production."

Four radio spots showcase similar themes, including “House Call” that details the account of a cardiologist who brings care closer to home through outreach visits to rural clinics and hospitals.

The ads are running in the La Crosse market and southwest Wisconsin, northeast Iowa and southeast Minnesota. Gundersen is also running the campaign on social and in 15-second pre-roll ads.

Last year Preston Kelly developed and executed an overarching brand positioning campaign for Gundersen.

“The spots bring true stories supplied by Gundersen employees to life,” says Preston. “In a consumer survey, more than 40% of respondents were aware of last year’s campaign, and nearly 75% of those reacted favorably to it. We hope to build upon last year’s positive results with this new work.”