Women’s College Hospital Foundation aims to make people aware that the hospital’s focus is on women’s health, equity, and innovative healthcare solutions, particularly with underserved groups – and eliminate the misconception that it’s dedicated to maternity care.

“We See Things Differently” spells out that message in a social and OOH-led campaign by Intent, an agency specializing in nonprofit clients that was awarded the organization’s AOR business in the spring of last year.

“The real brief for us was to shift perception, and the position of the Women’s College Hospital Foundation (WCHF) is around health equity,” says Ben Hagon, president and creative director at Intent. The focus is on identifying and analyzing healthcare gaps and how they affect patient outcomes, adds Hagon. It’s about research, care and advocacy work, and not about a maternity ward – which it doesn’t even operate anymore – or a women’s clinic.

Launched in October, the “We See Things Differently” campaign showcases how the University of Toronto-linked institution is playing a revolutionary role in healthcare. This is something it has done for 140 years as Canada’s only independent, academically-affiliated, standalone hospital focused on women’s health and equity.

The key, Hagon says, is getting word out that the institution serves women, especially marginalized communities, Indigenous and trans people, he says. For example, Women’s College Hospital has a Refugee Health and Crossroads Clinic, which offers culturally-sensitive, trauma-informed holistic care to newcomers.

The campaign targets people aged 30 years and older. It spans a dedicated website, mural advertisements in strategically chosen subway stations, lamppost banners, a targeted social media initiative, community advertisements, and in-hospital applications such as elevator wraps, among other mediums.

There is a bit of a donation pull, Hagon admits, as there is a microsite with a call to action, but the main objective is the perception shift around what the hospital does.

“For us, we just want to be different…from all those other [hospitals],” he says.

The media agency partner is Empathy.

This fall, Women’s College Hospital Foundation named Heart & Stroke and CIFAR vet, Leslie McCarley, its president and CEO.