TBWA\New Zealand and Southern Cross launch The Feel Good Project

TBWA\New Zealand has launched a new campaign for the Southern Cross brand that puts real New Zealand health stories centre stage.

The campaign, The Feel Good Project, is a collaboration between Southern Cross Health Society and Southern Cross Healthcare and is running across TV, cinema, OOH, digital and social media.

It follows the journey of six Southern Cross members as they manage the emotional and physical challenges from their illness, recovery, and the care they received from Southern Cross every step of the way.

From patients to performers

Rather than focusing on illness or limitation, The Feel Good Project celebrates what can happen with supportive care; the return of confidence, movement and self-belief.

Each Southern Cross member agreed to share their personal story and take on an unexpected challenge: working with professional dancers to learn and perform in this joyful television campaign, stepping from patients to performers.

TBWA\New Zealand chief creative officer Shane Bradnick says the motivation was to shift the narrative away from the way health stories are typically told, which has been to emphasise the illness aspect of the person’s road to recovery.

“We wanted to celebrate how far these people have come. These are real people who’ve experienced real health adversity. Instead of portraying them through a lens of vulnerability, we wanted to put them centre stage and give them an opportunity to feel powerful, confident and proud of their bodies again. This is about movement, joy and reclaiming your sense of self.”

Health is wealth

Southern Cross Health Society chief marketing and sales officer Regan Savage says at its heart, The Feel Good Project is a celebration of wellbeing capturing the authentic experiences of real Southern Cross stories and the importance of your health, above all else.

“Health challenges don’t just affect the body, they affect confidence, identity and how people move through the world,” says Savage.

“At a time when healthcare can feel complex and overwhelming, we wanted to reflect the real experiences of the people we support and to remind New Zealanders how important it is to feel genuinely cared for.”

For participants, the project was an opportunity to reclaim movement, confidence and visibility, and to share their experiences in the hope it might resonate with others facing similar challenges.

The campaign was directed by New York based director duo, KingShe, whose credentials include projects with Olivia Rodrigo and Rihanna.

“Coming from a family of doctors and nurses, we could immediately recognise the exceptional work Southern Cross does, and this campaign felt personal to us. Our approach to the filmmaking was led by the joy at the heart of the idea, and in celebration of the people whose stories inspired us,” says KingShe’s Radha Ganti.

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