Detroit-based Henry Ford Health System launched its "Tough Love" campaign Dec. 5, urging Michigan residents to exhibit their toughness and compassion by adhering to COVID-19 safety protocols.
The campaign was rolled out Dec. 5 on social media and television, and print and radio ads will soon follow. The ads feature imagery of other tough times Michigan residents have persisted through, such as civil unrest in the 1960s and severe blizzards.
The ads say that while social distancing, handwashing and mask wearing are simple protocols to follow, it's "it's tough as nails to keep at it for months." They also tell viewers "tough love will take us to next year, where we can gather again with no empty chairs."
The health system is also featuring "Tough Love Letters," a collection of notes and letters from Henry Ford workers about the situations through which they persevere when caring for patients amid the pandemic.
"It's one thing to talk about infection and death rates, and repeating that people should wear masks, keep washing their hands and continue social distancing," Heather Geisler, Henry Ford's senior vice president and chief marketing, communications and experience officer, said in a news release. "It's quite another to demonstrate in the starkest terms how we have endured and overcome past challenges as a community, and how we can be tough enough to get to the other side of this one. These individual acts of resolve will make all the difference."