University of Utah Health
Special Events, Projects, Programs, or Campaigns
Gold
How do you remind your people—every role, every hallway, every shift—that their work makes a difference? At University of Utah Health, our greatest strength is the dedication of our more than 28,000 employees. So, our MarCom team decided to redirect our efforts and funding to create a system-wide, employee-centered, multimedia and multi-year storytelling campaign called “Made Better By You.”
We brought our most trusted collaborators into our creative team with one mission in mind: to tell people's stories in their own words, free of spin or institutional branding. These stories weren’t about our leaders or breakthrough discoveries (we have other ways to tell those stories), but about colleagues who embody what we call the “everyday extraordinary”: a custodian who spent 18 years in an Ethiopian refugee camp, a veteran flight nurse who finds peace after stressful shifts with her horse, Majestic, a heart researcher inspired by her grandfather’s early death.
We wanted to inspire and empower colleagues throughout the institution to use this opportunity to reignite belonging, create human-centered content, and strengthen culture in a meaningful way. The result is—by design—an evolving campaign that leverages our creativity as multimedia storytellers with our best asset: our people.
What was the most impactful part of your entry?
Above all, our favorite part of this campaign has been the feedback we’ve received from story subjects, supervisors, contributors, and colleagues. These are just a few:
"This is truly a gift I will treasure for the rest of my life... reading this brought me to tears, and I’m deeply humbled to see my story told so eloquently." — Echo Warner
"These stories give voices to those who are historically voiceless." — Adonis Hardeman
"I want to share a note of admiration for the touching and impactful work you do... It's clear this is more than just work for you all; it's an effort that you have truly reached for the stars with." — Kimberly Killam
“Thank you so much for the Made Better By You package I received yesterday! I am so impressed with the thought and detail you put into curating those items, they hit the mark! When I opened that box, I felt excited, honored, and valued. Thank you so much for including me in this celebration of people. I love this project so much and am so grateful and happy to be a part of it.” — Amy Choate-Nielsen
These reactions affirm what research tells us: authentic storytelling is one of the simplest yet most impactful ways to strengthen trust and connection in any organization.
What is one thing you learned from your entry/experience?
Constantly balancing the need for immersion in this special Made Better By You campaign with the demands of our regular ongoing work. It's an ongoing challenge that never goes away! But what we learned is how human-centric storytelling and thoughtful creativity can be infused into nearly any project — even the most seemingly mundane or trivial. When clinical colleagues tell us that the spirit of Made Better By You has quite literally made their teams stronger by fostering an enhanced sense of connection, we know that all the extra work is worth it.
Contact: Nick McGregor
nick.mcgregor@hsc.utah.edu