Hospira
LifeShield: Welcome to NeverLand

Challenge

When we think about hospitals, we typically think of them as places we go to to get well. But underlying that notion is a very real threat that undermines patients’ health. Hospital-acquired infections (HAI) are nosocomially acquired infections that are not present at the time of a patient’s admission to a hospital. These infections, e.g., catheter-associated urinary tract infections, central line-associated bloodstream infections, surgical site infections, ventilator-associated pneumonia, hospital-acquired pneumonia, and Clostridium difficile infections, contribute to nearly 100,000 deaths annually in the US.

For decades, hospitals have taken HAIs seriously, using prevention strategies to reduce the rate of infections in their facilities, including the use of IV therapy products designed to optimize infusion delivery, reduce the risk of infection, and protect vascular access sites.

At the time work began on Hospira’s LifeShield IV safety disposables, it was a name and that was about it. No logotype. No voice. No visual style or unifying idea. It was a collection of disparate items ranging in quality and function. As a result, Hospiara’s sales reps were having a hard time confidently communicating the value of these IV disposables to customers in the hospital. What they needed was a solid platform and a strong message that would give sales reps a single unifying story to tell and brand to sell.

Solution

Inspired by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services’ decision to stop reimbursing hospitals for “Never Events,” i.e., hospital-acquired infections, I conceived the idea of “NeverLand”—a place where never events can never happen and LifeShield is essential. In doing so, my account partner and I worked with Hospira and identified those products worthy of living up to the LifeShield name and turned a dying brand into the industry’s premier collection of IV safety equipment.

To simplify the creation of new collateral, my copywriting partner and I constructed a comprehensive message map and a templated communications system, ensuring consistent reinforcement of the look, feel, and voice of the brand. This approach allowed us to generate new stories to set up the need for LifeShield and simplified the creation of communications to launch new products.

In the first year alone of launching the campaign, all ten of the LifeShield products experienced double-digit growth.

My role: Strategy, Creative Direction, Design, Copywriting