Perspective shapes everything. It changes how we see brands, audiences, creative, strategy, and even the problems we’re trying to solve. Unlock Health Perspectives exists to explore the ideas, campaigns, trends, and conversations shaping healthcare marketing — and what they reveal about the way people connect, communicate, and make decisions.
What makes creative advertising effective in the first place and what does it reveal about modern advertising strategy?
Split screen
Interesting creative can come from anywhere. In this section, we look at work that caught our attention and unpack why people can walk away seeing completely different things.
This month, Christian Barnett, Group Lead – Strategy and Creative, and Nathan Juarez, Executive Creative Director, are weighing in on Miracle-Gro’s “Come back to Earth” campaign for Earth Day.
Art or advertising? Miracle-Gro’s Earth Day campaign
Christian says:
[The ads] are visibly interesting. Eye-catching. Kind of iconic. I know what Miracle-Gro is so I kind of get it. But the “Come Back to Earth” line puzzled me until I saw the line “For every hour on earth day, we are inviting you back to earth.”
This helped me make more sense of it, “Oh yes, I see, it’s Earth Day and Miracle-Gro helps plants grow.” So, it helps to have that line, helping me make sense of things… Put down your tech, go garden, grow things, get with nature.
But this line is only on one of the ads and it could work harder. Something along the lines of put your tech to one side and go back to plants. But when I think harder about what the line should be, the whole idea starts to break down. The visual actually looks like the plants are taking over, and that’s a different idea altogether.
It’s a shame because somewhere in there is a really interesting idea about the power of nature vs. the power of tech, but it hasn’t been defined clearly nor expressed. And there are some really attention-grabbing visuals that intrigue me, draw me in, like lots of great advertising.
It’s just when I get there, I am left a little disappointed. Like a great gag set up but no punch line.
Nathan says:
There’s art, and there’s advertising. Sometimes, in very special circumstances, those two disciplines intersect and create something truly compelling. To me, the key distinction is that art is created to be interpreted, discussed, and even debated. It’s meant to provoke thought and, at times, controversy.
As a short tangent, the way we think about “art” today is relatively modern. Historically, much of the work was used to document events, stories, or mythology within highly exclusive circles. Movements like Impressionism helped shift art away from purely historical representation. Later, in the 1940s, Clement Greenberg championed Abstract Expressionism, an approach where the focus was on the medium itself and meaning became subjective to the viewer. Jackson Pollock is a well-known example of this shift.
Advertising, on the other hand, is about communicating a clear and easily understood perspective to a specific audience. It intentionally leaves less room for interpretation because it serves a business objective. Its effectiveness is measured by how well the message resonates and drives the intended action.
The Miracle-Gro campaign, to me, leans more toward art than advertising. The idea feels somewhat nebulous and open to interpretation, and the line “come back to earth” is a bit of a head-scratcher. The line “for every hour on Earth Day, we’re inviting you back to Earth” is also a bit unclear, especially in the context of visuals that suggest nature reclaiming man-made objects.
Is the work effective? From an artistic standpoint, you could argue that anything that makes people think has some level of effectiveness. As advertising, though, I’m less convinced, though that ultimately depends on what they set out to achieve.
Where we landed:
The Miracle-Gro Earth Day campaign seems to wrestle with some of the same challenges Authentic Healthcare Marketing is designed to solve.
The work feels very authentic to what we already know about the Miracle-Gro brand: reconnecting with nature, putting down the technology, getting your hands back in the dirt, and feeling grounded again. There’s a real brand truth at the center of it.
But authenticity alone doesn’t guarantee connection.
The campaign creates intrigue, but the audience has to work pretty hard to fully understand the message. And when people have to overthink advertising, the emotional impact can start to fade.
What’s interesting is that there’s probably a stronger and clearer idea sitting just beneath the surface. The visuals almost suggest that nature is reclaiming space from technology and modern life — that getting “back to earth” isn’t just about gardening, but about reconnecting with something real and physical in an increasingly digital world.
That’s a compelling idea.
Eli Lilly’s campaign reflects a larger shift in healthcare advertising
Strategy check
Some ad campaigns are interesting not just because of the creative, but because of what they reveal about audiences, brands, healthcare, and where the industry may be headed next.
This month, Christian Barnett, Group Lead – Strategy and Creative, and Kris Wickline, VP – Strategy, are weighing in on a new campaign from Eli Lilly.
Start How You Can
Christian says:
I’m of two minds on this.
My skeptical, corporate brain says “this is a strategic play to address the negative perceptions around Big Pharma. It’s like big oil talking about the environment. Yeah, right, sure, whatever!’
My friendly, generous brain says “I like this ad. It has, at its core, a truth I can buy into and relate with. And isn’t it good, a big pharma company talking about health before, beyond and without drugs. Good on them. They’re bigger than just encouraging me to ask my doctor for drug-names-I-can’t-pronounce let alone remember when I see my doctor. It’s a bit Nike without the Nike attitude, a very different tone but kind of the same “just do it” message, but then not a surprise because it is from Nike’s most enduring agency, Wieden and Kennedy.
Kris says:
Great ad, wrong messenger.
The ad is authentic, moving, and true. Caitlin Clark, elite but relatable, shares the screen with everyday people showing their own “day one”. Its real, its human, and the message that exercise is one of the most powerful preventative medicines genuinely matters.
But when Lilly’s name appears, the power drains. A great message requires a credible messenger. Lilly has no real operational stake in exercise or prevention, no programs, no proof points, no skin in the game. Just as H&M’s “Conscious Collection” was rightly called greenwashing, a sustainability message masking a fast fashion empire, this is health-washing. And health-washing, however beautifully made, reinforces the very cynicism it’s trying to overcome.
Where we landed:
Healthcare companies, including pharmaceutical companies, are increasingly expected to participate in broader conversations about wellness, prevention, and healthier living, not just treatment. Consumers want healthcare brands to feel more human, more relatable, and more invested in everyday health decisions.
Is it inauthentic for a company that made over $11 billion in 2025, largely due to surging prescriptions for GLP-1 drugs that treat obesity and diabetes, to run a campaign centered on prevention and exercise? Lilly ultimately profits from treating disease, but the campaign positions the company inside a conversation about preventing it.
However, the campaign reflects something we’ve written about frequently at Unlock. People are more likely to take action when healthcare messaging reduces fear, simplifies the first step, and makes healthier behavior feel achievable rather than intimidating. If Caitlin Clark can get people up and moving, that’s a good thing.
The campaign may not completely resolve the contradiction at the center of it, but it does reflect a larger shift in how healthcare brands want to be perceived.
Apple’s TikTok strategy shows how brands adapt creative for younger audiences
First impressions
Sometimes the most honest reaction is the first one. In this section, we show advertising campaigns to our fellow Unlockers and see what stands out immediately.
Have you seen Apple’s TikToks promoting the new MacBook Neo? Unlike their usual sleek and polished ads, Apple is trying something different, but just on TikTok … interesting.
A core tenet of authentic healthcare marketing is using the right messages and messengers in channels where your audience is already engaging. With a comparatively low price point, especially with the educational discount, Apple is making it clear they’re going for the Gen Z and Gen Alpha audience on TikTok.
So, what did a group of Gen X and Millennial marketers — with one “elder” Gen Z — think?
“The design is very different. It’s more accessible. Maybe even a little dumbed down.”
“My favorite thing is reading the comments. ‘People in the comments not understanding that they’re promoting the macbook neo lol the pink color is named BLUSH.’”
“Comment, ‘Apple, are you ok?’ Very fair. There is no info here and I probably wouldn’t click anything just based on this.”
“My kids watch stuff like this and I think, ‘I don’t get it.’”
“It’s kind of cool. They’re definitely saying that Apple is the brand for the next generation.”
What do you think about Apple’s play for younger consumers? Check back next month to see what Christian and Nathan think.
What’s shaping our perspective
A look at what we’ve been building, writing, and sharing lately. The latest from Unlock across blogs, books, and webinars.
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Make building health literacy a core strategy in healthcare marketing
Nearly 90% of Americans struggle with health literacy. Learn how hospitals and health systems can use healthcare marketing to improve understanding, address cost fears, and help patients take action.
Healthcare marketing is hitting its target. That doesn’t mean it’s aiming at the right one.
Healthcare marketing is more precise than ever, but growth is lagging. Learn why targeting alone isn’t enough to drive real enterprise performance.
Epic as a growth engine for healthcare marketing
Epic healthcare marketing strategy goes beyond tools. Learn how to align engagement, workflows, analytics, and governance to turn Epic into a true growth engine for your organization.
When your data is accurate but strategically unusable
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From platform to performance: Epic as a healthcare marketing leverage case study
Epic healthcare marketing can be more than infrastructure. This case study shows how leading health systems can leverage Epic to drive engagement, align marketing with finance, and turn data into enterprise growth.
Healthspan vs lifespan: Why consumers are changing the healthcare conversation
Healthspan vs. lifespan reflects a growing shift in how consumers think about healthcare, prevention, and healthier aging. Learn how health risk assessments support proactive engagement and healthier long-term outcomes.
Reporting isn’t enough: How healthcare marketing analytics drives enterprise value
Healthcare marketing analytics should do more than report campaign performance. Learn how health systems can connect data, strategy, and enterprise value to drive smarter growth decisions.
Medical weight loss and GLP-1 demand are reshaping how patients enter obesity care
Medical weight loss and GLP-1 demand are changing patient behavior by exposing the need for a coordinated, clinical grounded entry point. Learn how health systems can use health risk assessments to guide patients to the right care.
Your stack works. Your system doesn’t. The structural diagnosis healthcare marketing leaders need
Healthcare MarTech strategy isn’t about adding more tools. Learn how to fix governance, measurement, and system design to maximize performance from your existing stack.
New case study: CHRISTUS Health
How CHRISTUS Health leveraged digital health risk assessments, CRM integration, and coordinated outreach to expand access, accelerate early cancer detection, and strengthen breast cancer awareness across Texas and Louisiana.
New e-book: Stop the sprawl: maximizing your MarTech
MarTech stacks keep growing, even as confidence in their impact and ROI declines. Our e-book breaks down why that gap exists and how to close it.
On-demand webinar: Maximizing MarTech in healthcare — from stack sprawl to strategic growth
In this on-demand webinar, leaders from UNC Health, Atlantic Health, and Unlock Health share how healthcare organizations can move beyond fragmented tools and disconnected data to build a more strategic, full-funnel MarTech approach.
Continue the conversation
We’d love to hear your perspectives. Head over to our LinkedIn post and tell us what you think about the campaigns we discussed.
Do you agree with Nathan and Christian about Miracle-Gro’s Earth Day campaign?
What do you think about the company that makes the most-prescribed GLP-1 drug producing an ad for preventive health?
Tell us what you think about those TikTok videos from Apple — are they fun? Confusing? Would you buy a Neo after seeing them?
