With a brief to attract more experienced nurses to join University Hospitals Bristol NHS Trust (UHBristol) in an incredibly competitive market, we knew we would need to promote more than just benefits to really get applications.
Our approach was to first gain a great understanding of why nurses chose to work for UHB and how this differentiated the Trust against its many competitors. We ran a number of focus groups with current employees and managers to find out. Our insight pointed out to one key reason why nurses wanted join and stay with the Trust, the city Bristol, with it being a fantastic place to live and work – and this became our campaign key proposition.
We developed a campaign line and concept that we felt would reflect the key campaign proposition, capturing the essence of Bristol as a great City, while at the same time appealing to nurses who love what they do, which is caring for people (and love looking after the lives of patients):
We felt it was important that the campaign had a unique and local feel. We commissioned a well-known local illustrator, Phil West, who designed the Bristol pound note and was perfect for the job. He produced a number of images representing the work at the trust as well as the spirit of the city of Bristol.
The ‘Love Life, Love Bristol’ campaign continues to be successful in standing out in a crowded recruitment market. Since the campaign was launched we have helped the hospital recruit people for various posts—from dentists, to doctors, to cleaners, all the way up to the chief executive.
