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jbirnsteel@doeanderson.com
Background
Louisville, Kentucky’s West End is one of the most systematically underserved neighborhoods in the country. Home to more than 60,000 residents and occupying over thirteen square miles, the area has long been a flashpoint of social and political injustice. Breonna Taylor’s murder in the heart of the community in 2020 set off a wave of national debate and global attention – but the issues at stake have been simmering in the city for centuries.
The reality is that redlining – systematic commercial and governmental disinvestment – has left West Louisville to largely fend for itself. One of the clearest consequences of this heinous neglect is drastic health inequity. Not only do West Louisvillians far outpace the rest of the city in nearly every major disease – their average life expectancy is fifteen years less than what their mostly white neighbors enjoy just a few short miles away.
As a non-profit and the largest healthcare provider in the city (as well as the state), Norton Healthcare saw the spotlight on these inequities as an opportunity for true progress – and seized it. They built a brand-new hospital in West Louisville. The first hospital west of Ninth Street in over 150 years.
Creative Idea
But for this historic step to truly make an impact two challenges had to be faced. How could we inspire West Louisvillians, who are deeply (justifiably) skeptical of corporate healthcare, to embrace this chance to change those staggering health statistics? And how could we use this moment not to market a brand but to further a mission?
To build crucial trust in the community, to pave the way for similar cities and companies across the country, Norton West Louisville Hospital needed to be the spotlight, not steal the spotlight. So, instead of creating a traditional campaign, we handed over our entire budget to a real West Louisvillian to memorialize this historic moment from the only perspective that truly matters: what this hospital means to the people it’s meant to serve.
Execution
Poised to open ourselves and our clients up to the unique solution of letting someone else tell our story, we searched relentlessly for a local artist up to the challenge and finally struck gold. Imani Dennison – born and raised in West Louisville – was an up-and-coming short film director, fresh from a residency in Senegal, enroute to an MFA at Stanford, and focused on purpose-driven work highlighting issues affecting Black Americans. We convinced the client, assisted with equipment and crew, then stepped back so Imani could step up.
The resulting film is a powerful, personal, passionate story capturing what it’s like for real West Louisvillians to live through these times and this sea change. The audience sees why the hospital matters and the ways its woven into the fabric of the city. The brand comes through clearly – but solely through Imani’s lens, solely in the context of the community it serves. Was it the film we would have made as professional marketers? No. Which is precisely the point.
