McKesson

Creating Signal in the Noise

A transformative brand campaign that fueled RelayHealth’s visibility and growth

Project
Beyond Connectivity Campaign

Agency Partners
Yesler (Seattle)
Acclaro (Atlanta)

Roles
Creative Direction
Brand Strategy
Tone of Voice Development
Messaging Architecture
Environmental & Digital Design

Objective
Following a comprehensive visual brand refresh, RelayHealth required a bold campaign for HIMSS 2015, one that would solidify its leadership and differentiate it in the market. With over 41,000 health leaders in attendance, we saw the conference as the ideal platform for introducing a new voice to enhance market resonance.

Our challenge was to develop a messaging strategy that would rise above a landscape saturated with jargon and data-laden phrasing, reintroducing the brand in a manner that would be fresh and invigorating for both new and existing customers.

Solution
Through a series of collaborative workshops, we identified an opportunity to compete differently. While the category relied heavily on facts, features, and technical language, we believed a more human approach could create stronger market resonance.

Rather than leading with specifications, we focused on creating familiarity and engagement first. The goal wasn't to simplify the technology. It was to make the brand more relatable and memorable without sacrificing credibility in a trust-driven market.

Beyond Connectivity

At the time, most healthcare IT messaging focused on systems and specifications. We wanted to talk about what those systems made possible. The Beyond Connectivity campaign reflected RelayHealth's evolution from a connectivity-focused company to one that helps providers, payers, and patients work together more effectively. More importantly, it gave us a platform for a different kind of conversation.

A Wink and a Nod

Our strategy was to start conversations, not to monologue. We designed the campaign's voice to evolve across the customer journey. Up front, it relied on metaphor, surprise, and a dash of wit to spark connection and make the brand feel more human. As the journey progressed, the messaging grew more targeted and data-rich, but the voice remained unmistakably its own.

Tone led the charge. Substance sealed the deal.

Stealth Messaging

The new voice came to life through a series of bold statements paired with simple, iconic imagery. Using metaphor and tone, we distilled complex ideas into quick, memorable moments that made the brand easier to understand and more difficult to forget. Beneath their simplicity, each one communicated a deeper story about expertise, scale, and reliability.

Capturing Attention

To give the new messaging the presence it deserved, we needed a delivery mechanism as bold as the message itself. That took shape as a 12-foot-by-8-foot digital billboard that became the centerpiece of the booth's canopy along the main HIMSS corridor. In a hall filled with dense copy, technical diagrams, and feature-heavy messaging, its simplicity stood apart and became a magnet for attendees and competitors alike.

“I especially appreciated Chip’s ability to communicate in clear and simple terms – plain language, clean design, and an easily understood message that could cut through the clutter to resonate with even the most skeptical audience.”

Maggie Essman
Former Senior Director, Marketing
RelayHealth

HIMSS Conference and Campaign Artifacts

HIMSS conference pull-up banners

Sales team tablet wallpapers

Event invitaiton handouts

Internal Resonance

Soon after its success at HIMSS, the campaign found a second life within the company. Requests for variations began to arrive from across departments. The campaign spread organically, appearing on t-shirts, internal monitors, pull-up banners, and, most prominently, as a series of six-foot posters greeting visitors in the elevator lobbies of RelayHealth's headquarters. The underlying strategy proved flexible enough to extend well beyond its original purpose, finding applications throughout the company.

Clarifying the Signal

This campaign began with a hunch that voice and tone could shift perception more quickly than facts and features alone. In a category where every company was trying to prove its capabilities, we chose to reveal our personality first. What began as a creative experiment quickly became a brand-wide movement, reshaping how RelayHealth communicated for years to come.

Snapshots from the Campaign