Nothing makes us feel better than some new wins. And lately, we’ve had quite a few. This spotlight is on healthcare.

Community health systems. Care delivered right at home. Academic medicine. Very different organizations with very different patients, challenges and stories to tell.

That’s one of the things we love about working in healthcare. There are some table stakes, of course. Excellence. Expertise. Compassion. A personal approach. But no two healthcare organizations are actually the same. Each has its own people, culture, strengths and role in the lives of the communities it serves.

Our job is to dig in and find what makes each one different.

So we’re very excited to welcome these new healthcare partners to AB&C.

Mary Washington Healthcare

Mary Washington Healthcare has been part of the Fredericksburg, Virginia, community for more than 125 years. What began as an eight-room hospital has grown into a nonprofit regional health system with two hospitals and more than 80 healthcare facilities and wellness services—all with a mission to improve the health of the communities they serve.

We’re excited to help tell the next chapter of a healthcare brand with deep roots in its community and big ambitions for the care it provides.

BAYADA Home Health Care

For more than 50 years, BAYADA has helped people live safely and independently at home, providing care to people of all ages across the country and around the world.

What stands out is a mission built around compassion, excellence and reliability—and a belief that supporting caregivers helps them provide better care to the people who depend on them.

Temple Health + Fox Chase Cancer Center

Our relationship began with Temple Health Lung Center and grew to include all of Temple Health—and that relationship continues to grow, now expanding to include Fox Chase Cancer Center.

Together, Temple Health and Fox Chase represent some of the most advanced academic medicine, research and cancer care. It’s expertise that can open up new possibilities for patients—and a story we’re thrilled to help tell.

Different kinds of care. One very healthy roster.

From care in someone’s home or their community to some of the most advanced care in the world, these new partnerships show just how varied healthcare can be. And while the organizations may be very different, that’s exactly what makes us excited to get to work.

Welcome to AB&C, Mary Washington Healthcare, BAYADA and Temple Health/Fox Chase Cancer Center. We’re happy you’re here.

Like every kid heading back to school right now, we’re ready to tell you what we did over summer break. Except ours involved fewer belly flops and hermit crabs and a bit more concepting, shooting, designing and launching. 

For the Wildwoods, we refreshed the Welcome to the Wildwoods campaign for another summer at the shore. 

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For Adventure Aquarium, we created a new TV spot that brings a child’s imagination to life—and shows just how incredible the real thing can be. 

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We helped make a summer in the Brandywine Valley go a little further with the Brandywine Treasure Trail. Twelve destinations, one low price.

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And for Freeman Arts Pavilion, we created a refreshed brand to help usher in a new era and the grand opening of its reimagined venue. 

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Our big wins prove that great ideas don’t all look the same.

Award posts can start to sound the same: “We’re thrilled.” “We’re excited.” “We’re jazzed.” 

And, yes, of course we are all those things. But what I love most about these eight Telly Awards isn’t the trophies. It’s looking at the list and realizing it takes a special kind of agency to make this kind of creative whiplash happen. 

One week, we’re bringing an iconic beach sign to life. The next, we’re building an obnoxious mascot to warn teens about sports betting. Then we’re shooting stop-motion for Narcan® access and training, helping parents have difficult conversations about firearm safety, and reminding people that addiction doesn’t define their story. 

Somehow, that’s all in a day’s work. 

Here’s some of the work that earned AB&C eight Telly Awards this year:

Where You Are

Not for Profit

College doesn’t have to mean pressing pause on your life. For Delaware Technical Community College, we created a campaign showing that the smartest move might start from exactly where you are.

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TZR

Online Commercials—Public Service and PSA 

Meet TZR. He’s loud. He’s distracting. He’s the last one you’d invite over to watch the game. 

Which is exactly why he worked. 

Created to raise awareness about teen sports betting, TZR became the physical embodiment of everything gambling steals from young people. You weren’t supposed to  like him. You were supposed to remember him.

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Your Story

Local TV—Use of Color

“It’s someone else’s problem.”

Until it isn’t.

This campaign for addiction services in New Jersey challenged the stigma surrounding addiction by reminding people that while addiction may become part of your story, it doesn’t have to be the ending.

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Welcome to the Wildwoods

Local TV—Travel and Tourism

There’s something magical about seeing the Welcome to the Wildwoods sign.

So we wondered …

What if it welcomed you?

We brought the iconic landmark to life to celebrate every kind of vacation, every kind of traveler and everything that makes the Wildwoods feel like summer.

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Trade Up for Health

Social Video—Health and Wellness

Nobody wakes up and changes everything overnight.

This social campaign encouraged Delawareans to think smaller. Trade soda for water. Take a walk. Make one better choice today than you made yesterday. Turns out, that’s a pretty good place to start.

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The thing about these awards is that they’re about something way bigger than one spot.

They’re about clients who trusted us with meaningful work. They’re about strategists, writers, art directors, producers, editors, animators, media buyers, account teams and partners who figured out how to solve eight completely different problems in eight completely different ways. 

That’s the fun part of what we do. 

Congratulations to everyone who helped make these campaigns happen. Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’re going back to figuring out what we can make next. 

We’d like to announce the second most exciting match-up of Super Bowl LIX – creative and strategy. As you are very well aware, this is a pretty big time of year for us ad nerds. Some might say it’s the Super Bowl of commercials. So, as we look ahead to our commercial kick-off, Alex Wittchen and I want to break down what we think you’ll see during the big game’s big breaks.

What to expect

AI o’clock.

Where 2023 was the year of bitcoin, this will be the year of AI. Some brands like Meta and GoDaddy are touting new AI‑powered offerings, but even more will streamline production costs by using AI tools behind the scenes, and plenty of brands may just use AI as the butt of their jokes. But what you won’t see are fully AI-generated ads. During the Super Bowl, the idea is king and AI just A-ain’t there yet (just ask Coke and Toys‑r‑us).

Alex’s Takeaway:

AI is a tool, not a concept. The brands that win won’t just use AI—they’ll make it relevant to their brand and audience. If AI doesn’t reinforce a core brand truth or deliver an actual consumer benefit, it’s just another tech buzzword that will be forgotten by the next commercial break.

Raise a glass, or 5.

According to ADWEEK, “Anheuser Busch is the largest Super Bowl advertiser across all beer, alcohol, and consumer packaged goods companies” in 2025. Last year, they secured spots for three of their drinks; this year it’s 5. With advertisers ponying up a pretty penny for airtime – $7 million for 30 seconds of airtime alone – that’s a lot of money spent on watery beer.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Dominating share of voice isn’t the same as dominating consumer mindshare. More ads don’t necessarily mean more impact—it’s about what they say, not just how often they say it. The real win for Anheuser Busch will be if they make each ad feel distinct while reinforcing a consistent brand narrative across all five.

Take that, rewind it back.

As usual, many brands are taking the ol’ “if it ain’t” broke approach to their big investments. We’ve got baby Clydesdales, action stars named Chris, and a big nostalgia play (looking at Hellmann’s bringing us back to the When Harry Met Sally diner).

Alex’s Takeaway:

Nostalgia works when it’s more than a reference. The brands that get it right will use nostalgia to reinforce brand equity or spark new relevance—like Hellmann’s tying their diner moment to modern food trends. The ones that get it wrong? They’ll feel like reruns with no clear reason to exist today.

What not to expect

What’s got 4 doors and is sitting out of the Super Bowl?

As of last week, only one automaker confirmed a 2025 Super Bowl ad. The reason could be that the industry has been heavily focused on making and marketing electric vehicles which customers have been slow to adopt, along with the current administration’s likelihood to end subsidies and policies that benefit electric vehicle manufacturers. Long story short, if you’re looking for a quick way to save a buck – $7 million on air seems like a good place to start.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Sitting out is a strategy, too. Automakers aren’t just cutting costs; they’re recalibrating priorities. If a category that used Super Bowl ads as a staple suddenly opts out, it’s a signal that their marketing focus is shifting. The real question: Where are they investing instead?

Shock factor

My guess is that most brands will like their ads how Anheuser Busch likes their beer – watered down and palatable for the masses. Humor is going to be light and the heavy emotional spots will be few and far between. In this climate, brands will be less looking to make bold statements in favor of broad appeal and a feel‑good laugh.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Mass appeal doesn’t have to mean forgettable. The best brands will find ways to be memorable within the safe zone—whether that’s through strong storytelling, unique execution, or a fresh perspective. Playing it safe is fine. Playing it dull isn’t.

State Farm

Though they had a big presence in last year’s game and were cued up for more of the same, they decided to pull their spot in light of the LA fires to “focus firmly on providing support to the people of Los Angeles.” In other words, they had received some flack as of late for dropping policies in LA in the past few years due to extreme weather. So spending all of that money on a big ad with big celebs wouldn’t be a great lewk.

Alex’s Takeaway:

Marketing decisions don’t exist in a vacuum. A brand’s public perception can shape what they shouldn’t say just as much as what they should. The smartest marketers know when to step back—and when to reinvest in rebuilding trust through actions, not ads.

So grab your chips, your dip, and your copies of “Inner Excellence” – there’s a lot to look forward to this weekend.

At 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2019, the ball started dropping and decided to make a year of it. Like everyone else, I wish I could close the lid to this dumpster fire, but there are some things even a trash fire can illuminate. And those are the things that I never want to lose sight of. So right now, I’m taking stock of what I want to stick.
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