Listen to Baptist Health on Brand Intelligence
In this episode of The Brand Intelligence Podcast, host William Tyree sits down with Rebecca Brown, VP of Marketing, Annabelle Pike, Director of Community Health Engagement, and Creative Director Andy McLeroy to explore the story behind Baptist Health’s centennial campaign.
Instead of a typical anniversary celebration, Baptist Health marked 100 years with 100 days of service, engaging 250 staff across Kentucky and Southern Indiana to partner with 88 community agencies. From blood drives to baby supply donations, the initiative combined marketing, community engagement, and human impact in powerful ways—resulting in measurable service outcomes, award-winning creative, and unforgettable personal stories.
The team shares how they transformed a milestone into a movement, the creative process behind the campaign, and why storytelling and service are inseparable in modern healthcare marketing. They also reflect on results, lessons learned, and how generative AI is shaping their future campaigns.
Tune in for a conversation about branding, community, and the power of turning anniversaries into action.
Learn more about Baptist Health at https://www.baptisthealth.com/
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Episode Transcript
William Tyree: Welcome to the Brand Intelligence Podcast, the show where we pull back the curtain on some of the world’s smartest brands. I’m your co-host William Tyree, and today we’re talking about an award-winning campaign that marked the hundred-year anniversary of Baptist Health. Joining me are Rebecca Brown, VP of Marketing, Annabelle Pike, Director of Community Health Engagement, and Creative Director Andy McElroy. Welcome, everybody.
Rebecca Brown: Thank you.
Andy McElroy: Hi, welcome.
William Tyree: It’s great to have you here. Before we get into the heart of our discussion, we like to ask all of our guests about their walkout song. If you were walking out to lead a keynote speech on marketing, creative direction, or community health and engagement, what would your walkout music be, and why? Annabelle, let’s start with you.
Annabelle Pike: Oh wow, thank you, William. Since I’d probably be a little nervous giving a keynote — I much prefer one-on-one conversations — I’d have to go with Mother by Danzig. You can’t be nervous when Glenn Danzig is reminding you to be metal.
William Tyree: That’s a great pick. Andy, you want to go next?
Andy McElroy: Sure. I love that question. I’m a musician, so about ten songs popped into my head immediately. But I’ll pick the most embarrassing one. When my daughter, who’s now in college, was younger, our go-to jam song was Party in the USA by Miley Cyrus. It never fails to put a smile on my face.
Annabelle Pike: Love that.
William Tyree: It really does. I can attest — my daughter just graduated from college, and Party in the USA is still a staple at college parties. Okay, one more to go. Rebecca?
Rebecca Brown: I love those two choices. I’ll balance them out with Change by Mavis Staples. I’d dance out to that one. She’s covering some serious issues that are still relevant today, but healthcare also continues to experience rapid change, and maintaining access to services gets harder every day. It just feels right.
William Tyree: That’s a great pick.
Annabelle Pike: And I can confirm that Rebecca would absolutely dance out to that.
Rebecca Brown: I would, yes.
William Tyree: Rebecca, let’s stay with you. For those who don’t know Baptist Health, can you tell us a little bit about the mission of the organization and its reach?
Rebecca Brown: Sure. In a nutshell, we’re focused on improving health in our communities, and we reach a lot of them. We’re Kentucky’s largest not-for-profit healthcare system, with 10 hospitals covering about 70% of the state. We also bring in patients from Southern Indiana, parts of Illinois, and Tennessee. So our reach is pretty broad. But at the core, our focus is always on improving health in our communities, and that’s where this story really begins.
William Tyree: Incredible. And it was your centennial. Can you tell us how the theme of not just a hundred years, but a hundred days of service came about, and what you wanted the campaign to accomplish?
Rebecca Brown: I’d love to. I don’t know about other marketers, but the mention of an anniversary strikes fear in my heart. Everyone loses their mind — what are we going to do? Back in the fall of 2021, people were already asking what we would do in 2024.
You may know Kentucky is bourbon country. One of our local distillers planned to celebrate their 150th anniversary by using a 200-year-old recipe to make a batch of bourbon that would be ready in 2026. I thought, what a way to celebrate. How could we flip this idea of a traditional anniversary — where organizations look inward and highlight accomplishments — into something outward-facing that would make a real impact?
So my goal was to celebrate with meaning. That’s when we decided to focus on our communities and the patients who have supported us all these years. I worked with Annabelle, and we laid out objectives — anyone who works with me knows that’s my favorite thing to do.
We went back to our mission. Number one, we wanted to reinforce our mission to improve health in our communities. Number two, we needed to recognize the milestone — you have to check that box. But more importantly, we wanted to truly make an impact. We wanted to remind our communities that we’ve had a 100-year commitment to Kentucky and the surrounding region, and that commitment isn’t going to change.
And yes, as a marketer, I also saw an opportunity to increase visibility for Baptist Health while achieving those objectives. From there we created the theme: Celebrating 100 Years of Caring with 100 Days of Service. Then we got to work.
