When Ramon Soto joined Northwell Health as SVP and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer 12 years ago, his directive was to persuade New Yorkers to choose the brand — in one of the most competitive healthcare markets in the country. But he wanted to break away from standard hospital marketing. Fewer doctors in white coats, less fear-based messaging.

The antidote was to build Raise Health, a platform focused on the long-term patient relationship rather than single episodes of care. It opened the door to purpose-driven campaigns on gun violence and mental health; a full-fledged content studio producing long-form projects for Netflix, HBO and other platforms; and an AI-first digital strategy that reimagines what a health system website should do for patients. We spoke with Soto about his unique approach.

Hair care brand Amika recently launched a new product line dubbed “The Protector,” which claims to protect color-treated hair from fading. But according to CMO Nilofer Vahora, consumers often forget or question a product’s claims. So the brand chose to personify it with a “protector” character on Instagram prepped to answer product questions and give tips for color-treated hair. Vahora shares the story behind the Reddit-inspired strategy and product distribution plan.

Life insurance company Ethos is leaning into celebrity marketing, boosting its ad budget more than 50% in 2025 to secure bigger talent and media buys. The insurer's latest campaign features fitness entrepreneur Amanda Kloots discussing her own loss and why having coverage was important to her. We spoke with Dave Brown, Vice President of Brand and Creative at Ethos, about what’s working with this approach and why the company is ready to move beyond performance marketing into linear and connected TV.

Lastly, low-cost wireless service TextNow initially grew through performance marketing and word of mouth, according to VP of Marketing Bonnie Herche. But with a new brand campaign featuring comedian Katt Williams and a track from Nipsey Hussle, the challenger brand wants to connect with a larger audience. Read how deeper research into customers’ interests inspired an empowerment story set on a bigger stage.

Until next week,