University of Maryland Medical System Launches ‘Better State of Care’ Campaign

The University of Maryland Medical System (UMMS) recently launched a new multi-media awareness campaign designed to show that the System's unrivalled statewide presence and foundational partnership with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM) bring the benefits of academic medicine to all Marylanders. The "Better State of Care" campaign reinforces the values that helped make UMMS the largest health care provider in Maryland, including deep-rooted commitments to local communities and the highest standards in safety and quality.

"Better State of Care" debuted with a 30-second television ad airing on MASN during the May 7, 2021, Orioles vs. Red Sox game. The campaign will roll out more broadly throughout the weeks to come, across Maryland, with 30-second television commercials on Baltimore broadcast stations and on cable stations on the Eastern Shore and in Charles and Prince George's counties; 30-second radio spots in the Baltimore and Washington, DC, media markets and on the Eastern Shore; and spots on National Public Radio stations WYPR and WAMU. Print ads will be seen in daily and weekly newspapers across the communities served by UMMS. Billboards throughout Baltimore and on the Eastern Shore will feature the campaign, and digital ads will be seen in all regions. The campaign will run throughout summer 2021 in the many Maryland communities that the System serves, utilizing compelling imagery to connect UMMS providers and expertise to Maryland.

"This is an important new step for UMMS and through it we hope to remind our communities that we truly are the one health system that is completely focused on the health of all Marylanders," said Mohan Suntha, MD, MBA, President/CEO of UMMS. "We are more than a system of hospitals, we are an integrated network of care, providing everything patients need for their health and well-being. But at the heart of our network are the incredible patients and families we are so honored to serve, as well the exceptional team members who work across our System to deliver care in local communities. This campaign perfectly captures how we feel about our patients, and how devoted we are to their care."

Video and other elements of the advertising campaign can be seen at www.umms.org/better. A one-minute long-form video, "Better State of Care: Delivering Academic Medicine to Maryland," will live on the campaign's landing page and is viewable here.

"Better State of Care" specifically highlights the connectivity between UMMS, the University of Maryland, Baltimore and UMSOM, including how local care is connected to University of Maryland Medical Center in downtown Baltimore, the System's nationally recognized flagship academic medical center where innovative breakthroughs in medicine happen. "With 13 hospitals and more than 150 locations offering quality and safe care, we put academic medicine within reach all across Maryland to provide better treatments and better outcomes for the communities we have the honor of serving," Dr. Suntha said.

UMMS worked with its agency-of-record, SPM, to develop the concept and creative for the campaign. Early Light Media, a Baltimore City firm founded in 2013, handled direction, filming and editing of the television spot.

"We worked closely with SPM and UMMS from start to finish to determine how to best bring this campaign to life," said Dave Larson, Director and Founder at Early Light Media. Filming was done at UMMS hospitals as well as in locations around Baltimore (Federal Hill and Fort Armistead) and in Annapolis, Prince George's County and on the Eastern Shore. "We wanted this spot to be representative of the beauty and diversity that defines Maryland," Larson said.