Who: BC Nurses’ Union and Wasserman + Partners for creative and media, with PostPro for post-production and Wave for audio.

What: An advertising campaign calling on people in B.C. to help nurses during the COVID crisis.

When & Where: Three 15-second ads are on air now and being pushed out through social channels.

Why: Because front-line health care workers are going to extraordinary lengths to treat people suffering from COVID-19—often at great personal risk—and their situation will be improved if people do some simple things to help out.

How: The ads use close-up shots of nurses looking tired, but staring directly into the camera with a determined gaze. Messaging beside the faces reminds viewers that nurses are doing everything they can, but need the rest of the community to help by following the precautionary measure we all know (or should know) by now, and to be considerate of the work being done by nurses. “Take care of those who take care of you,” is the closing tagline.

How was it produced: BCNU had been working on advertising before the crisis, and it was adapted for this new reality. “The existing campaign had been created to support nurses in the ongoing staffing challenges they face on a day-to-day basis,” explained Wasserman president Stefan Hawes. “But when the COVID-19 crisis came along we reviewed the campaign with the BCNU and decided that particular message needed to be put on hold when nurses were being asked to staff the front lines of the pandemic.”

And we quote: “Our initial message was highlighting the overwhelming challenges that nurses face in providing healthcare in an already overwhelmed system pre-COVID-19,” said Hawes. “But when things get really tough the nurses are always ready to be on the front lines of the challenge, and a message addressing systemic issues is no longer as relevant for the time being.”