My favorite commercial right now is a beautifully simple spot, that visits a series of sleepy environments in the earliest hours of the morning. There’s a brief, plainspoken narration — a voice who implores the viewer to go looking for something that’s been lost. And it all ends with the camera focused on a lone runner in a suburban neighborhood. Across this scene are the words, “Find Your Momentum.” It’s arguably the most powerful 30 seconds on television these days. Why? Because it so elegantly expresses the heart of the Kaiser Permanente brand.
The whole campaign is brilliantly simple. And as a tagline, “Thrive” continues to inform every creative execution and, I would venture, every strategic marketing decision. If I remember correctly, the initial TV spots ended with a longer line, “Live well, Be well, and Thrive,” but it’s the more succinct, and ultimately more powerful, “Thrive” that is positioning the organization as a visionary healthcare provider. And it’s a very compelling rallying cry.
In a recent press release, SVP of Marketing and Internet Services, Christine Paige said that with its three newest ads, “Kaiser Permanente aspires to provide the inspiration, motivation, and tools needed for individuals, families, and communities to take their health to the next level.” In other words, Kaiser wants everyone to thrive. It’s not an advertising idea — it’s an idea worth advertising.
Thrive was first launched in 2004, and it has yielded a long string of smart advertising, including — of course — this latest ad. Sure, it helps to have a partner like Campbell Ewald creating great concepts, and a phenomenal voice-over like Allison Janney (you might remember her as C.J. Cregg on the The West Wing), but at the end of the day, it’s Kaiser Permanente who gets the credit for transforming a one-word tagline into a corporate mantra, and continuing to find new ways to demonstrate how Kaiser’s perspective is singular and meaningful.
