• by Larissa Faw , May 29, 2015

Trends in childbirth are moving toward a desire for comfortable home-like settings that afford moms-to-be a feeling of control and the ability to personalize the experience. Women do their research. They read online reviews, books and articles, and they talk with friends and other experienced moms. Even celebrity birth trends seep into the collective consciousness, influencing what women want and expect from a birth experience.  

Now, Dignity Health Birth Centers and its agency Eleven are tapping into this trend to highlight the importance of intimacy and having a deeper emotional experience versus treating birth as a solely medical situation.

Developed with production company B-Reel, the short film, "The Space to Say 'Hello,'" features Lionel Richie's "Hello" and focuses on the excitement of bringing a new child into the world, where the whole family has the emotional space they need to connect and get to know one another for the first time. B-Reel director Jesper Hiro captures the joy and hope wrapped in those first introductions, specifically centered on the first simple word “Hello.” 

The broader concept is designed to leverage the strength of Dignity Health’s brand message of humankindness to tell a deeper more emotional story about labor and delivery, say agency executives. "We want expectant parents to know that Dignity Health birth centers focus on taking care of mom so that she can focus on bonding with her baby during their first incredible moments (and days) together.” 

One key challenge was licensing the iconic song by Lionel Richie. In order to land the song, Eleven had to sell the creative through to Richie, his publisher and his record label. But the agency believes it was worth the effort, given that the song complements the message that the client wants to convey. 

The film runs across cable and markets in California, Nevada and Arizona, and is supported with radio and digital pre-roll.  

Eleven has been Dignity Health's AOR for two years.