Who: Maple, Giants & Gentlemen, with PUSH Media for the OOH media buy, and Delta Growth for digital and social media buy.

What: A new ad campaign for the health technology platform, reminding people it can connect them with a doctor faster than waiting in an ER. The platform promises “medical care in minutes.”

When & Where: The digital and out of home campaign began Monday.

Why: Maple’s focus is on providing Canadians with basic doctor care without having to wait in a busy emergency room. One-time visits range from $49 for daytime, to $99 for an overnight visit.

“When it comes to healthcare, Canadians expect to wait. In my 15 years in the ER, I’ve seen it countless times,” said Dr. Brett Belchetz, co-founder and CEO at Maple.

The creative portrays how waiting to see a doctor can lead to increased anxiety, which can be more harmful for the person waiting.

How: Creative juxtaposes various medical conditions, like cold sores and shingles, with the responses people often get when trying to book a doctors appointment.

“We wanted to strongly demonstrate the tension of waiting for a doctor for a very long time, while having a scary health issue that’s only getting worse with each passing minute,” said Natalie Armata, co-founder and chief creative officer at Giants & Gentlemen.

And the timing? A coincidence, said Armata. “This is typically the cold and flu season which is why this was originally planned.” 

Anything else? On social the ads transform the loading icon into a vital organ (below). “With a population that’s simply accepted waiting for healthcare, we had to be strategic about our approach to demonstrate that there’s an easier way,” said Bryan Dinh, VP marketing at Maple. “The animated loading icons are a perfect example of that. It demonstrates how unwilling we are to wait for far less important things than our health. If you find it frustrating to wait for your social feed to load, why are you willing to wait for your health concerns to be addressed?”