New England Baptist Hospital

PROJECT GOALS

New England Baptist Hospital, a 125-year-old orthopedic specialty hospital, faced a pivotal moment in its distinguished history. Over its long tenure, the hospital had earned a reputation as the premier destination for age-related orthopedic issues. But year-over-year growth had stalled. As one of several prominent hospitals providing orthopedic services in Greater Boston the Baptist needed to reestablish itself as the orthopedic category leader.

The challenge had three parts: maintain the hospital’s reputation for exceptional care among its established patient population, differentiate from competing providers, and identify and activate new growth opportunities.

Our goal was to position New England Baptist Hospital as the clear orthopedic category leader while simultaneously helping it to expand beyond its traditional patient base by attracting a younger, more active audience seeking treatment for activity-related injuries and conditions.

PROCESS & SOLUTIONS

Comprehensive research revealed that while New England Baptist enjoyed an exceptional reputation for surgical experience and outcomes connected to age-related issues, younger active patients were unaware that the hospital’s remarkable capabilities were perfectly applicable to activity-related procedures. This led to our key insight: That healthy, pain-free movement is fundamental to quality of life for everyone—from professional athletes or everyday people pursuing active lifestyles.

This led to the development of “Every Move Is Extraordinary,” a brand platform that celebrated the importance of pain-free movement in daily life and positioned New England Baptist at the forefront of that possibility. The campaign strategically bridged the gap between elite athletic performance and everyday physical activities, demonstrating that the same expertise caring for professional athletes could serve anyone seeking to maintain an active lifestyle.

Baptist’s unique, 30-year-old position as the official hospital of the Boston Celtics had not been leveraged for brand promotion. This was an untapped opportunity to demonstrate how their expertise with elite-level care could appeal to individuals engaged in everyday activities. For the first time, we featured Boston Celtics stars Al Horford and Avery Bradley as brand ambassadors, creating authentic connections between professional athletic care and accessible orthopedic excellence. The visual strategy showcased aspirational, cinematic imagery of the human body in motion—from serious activities such as professional basketball and gymnastics to everyday activities like yoga, dancing, swimming, painting, and playing music.

Complementing the physical environment, we developed “The Six Word Story” digital experience—an interactive platform where patients could share personal movement stories, creating authentic community connections around the universal importance of pain-free physical movement.

Additional implementations included a complete website redesign informed by user-friendly journey mapping and a comprehensive, branded interior design approach for the hospital’s satellite Sports Performance Center.

RESULTS

The brand transformation successfully repositioned New England Baptist Hospital as the premier destination for comprehensive orthopedic care across all adult demographics and activity levels. Most significantly, the campaign attracted a substantial new patient population: active adults under 50 with activity-related issues now represent a meaningful percentage of the hospital’s total patient base, demonstrating how market expansion can be achieved while maintaining positioning with established audiences.

The environmental installations and digital experiences created unprecedented patient engagement, transforming the hospital experience from clinical to inspirational. The “Every Move Is Extraordinary” platform created a sustainable competitive advantage that competitors cannot easily replicate, rooted in authentic expertise and patient outcomes.