Klick Health's Marketing Competition Energises Brand Working to Save Black Mothers

As Black Maternal Health Week approaches (April 11th-17th), Klick Health shares a unique branding story that centres on a Black woman-led organisation, United We Raise – America’s first fully customisable digital community health platform and hospital app for pregnant women of colour. After getting a brand refresh from a group of inspired interns, United We Raise will be making its global debut Summer 2022 in partnership with select major American hospital systems (TBA).

So, how did this all come together?

Last year, the startup found itself in an all too familiar catch-22: the co-founders were stretched thin on the app’s development and new business side, diverting attention and resources away from marketing and brand strategy. They knew they needed ‘oomph’ to make their brand break through and resonate with external stakeholders – especially since their hospital partners will customise the app for a targeted demographic. They also knew they needed their brand to be able to help bring the joy back to the black maternal experience, while recognising the dynamism and diversity within black communities.

That’s where health marketing agency Klick Health stepped in. The Toronto-based healthcare agency — which last year worked with the US Government covid Response team to launch Rise Above COVID, the first clinical trial recruitment campaign for covid-19 therapies, prioritising communities of colour disproportionately impacted by covid-19 — expanded its internship program in the summer of 2021 with an Integrated Learning Project where the almost-60 interns worked in small interdisciplinary groups on a real new client launch campaign. Seven teams developed strategic launch campaigns for the startup, which included a reimagined visual identity, app and web redesign, and a public outreach strategy  – pitching their work to a panel of judges (a la Shark Tank-style competition) comprised of both the startup's and Klick’s Senior Leadership teams (No pressure!). 

The winning team’s marketing campaign, created around the injustice that Black women are four times more likely to die from pregnancy, brought CEO Tiffany McKever to tears. She noted she had a visceral reaction to the colour palette - a feeling she compared with listening to music; a feeling she had never had when looking at colour before. She also appreciated that the imagery was inclusive and welcoming; it didn’t portray the African community as a monolith but instead embodied the spectrum and honoured her ancestors.

“With a strategy like this, the first of its kind, I was moved to emotion to see my vision come to light through Klick’s interpretation. It is not easy to tackle such a sensitive topic while blending in beauty, community and much needed healthcare delivery reform," says Tiffany. The team was able to come together on a winning campaign by approaching the challenge with humility – recognising their knowledge gaps and conducting copious amounts of research; tapping into the power of colour psychology and cultural symbolism, and using competitive intelligence. United We Raise’s hope is to implement the additional marketing tactics upon further investment.