The footage is simple: black and white, no music. A woman comes face-to-face with her reflection in a quiet bathroom. From what seems like a vacuum of sound, her electric razor kicks into life as she starts shaving her head. As the process continues, slowly but with conviction, a series of words come up on screen: “Sara chose to take control. She got ahead of her cancer, with doctors who specialize in her cancer. Sara chose Inspira.”

This is how Inspira Health’s latest campaign “She Chose Inspira” begins. It sets the scene for an unconventional approach to healthcare marketing, showcasing a strong visual narrative with a thoughtful message of solidarity. The company, a nonprofit healthcare organization based in New Jersey, is known for creative TV commercials that highlight the experience of patients along with the technology and expertise behind their health network. But in their latest campaign with Brownstein Group, an emotional angle provides a new perspective from which to view Inspira Health and the relationship between the healthcare provider and its patients.

The result: an intimate, human reflection of a difficult disease that emphasizes the strength and decisiveness of those who live with it. When Sara smiles at the end of the ad, it’s because she was able to take control of her care, and by extension, her life.

“This is a metaphor for the broader relationships our patients have with Inspira Health,” said Kathy Scullin, VP of Marketing and PR at Inspira Health. “With the specialist care and leading-edge facilities we provide, we help our cancer patients regain control and feel secure in their treatment.”

Inspira Health’s leading-edge cancer center provides exceptional care led by trusted oncologists, experienced surgeons and a team of skilled nurses and practitioners. With a holistic and robust healthcare approach in place, Inspira Health empowers patients with the ability to focus on their journey and make decisions that are right for them. This message of empowerment is the key behind the healthcare provider’s latest collaboration with Brownstein Group.

Despite the team’s minimalist approach to the commercial’s concept, the filming process was a challenging experience that put many of the production team’s skills to the test.

“We only had one chance to capture the scene – the shaving of the head, the raw emotion,” said Meredith Schwinder, Creative Director at Brownstein Group. “It was a challenging filming experience, but it resulted in an unfiltered expression of what it means to live with cancer, and what it means to have the resources one needs to take the challenge head-on.”

For Creative Director Chris Grenier, this meant rethinking the approach to the project. “We didn’t want this to feel like a commercial,” he said. “This was about capturing a personal moment of someone who’s facing the biggest challenge of their life.”

Inspira Health’s latest commercial first aired during last night’s big game, carrying the healthcare provider’s message to a large regional audience. Last December, Brownstein Group and Inspira Health won a Bronze Clio Health Award in the Visual Effects category, Film Technique medium, for their brilliant representation of healthcare technology in their 2018 ad, “Innovation Where it Matters Most.”