Picture of Health

Company: BT
Sector: Communications
Impact: Brand knowledge & marketing
Sponsor: Nicola Rossi, Director of Communications, BT Health
Timescale: 2 months from approach to launch

Project brief

To support a public media campaign by BT Health promoting the company’s long standing relationship with the National Health Service in providing communications products and services to improve patient services. The campaign coincided with the 60th anniversary of the NHS in July 2008.

We recognise and value the role our Archives play not only in promoting the BT brand and identity amongst our customers and stakeholders, but also in actively supporting business operations to distinguish us positively from our competitors.
– Larry Stone, President Group Public & Government Affairs, BT 2009
Our Archives mined stories (and images) from BT’s 60 year collaboration with the NHS which really helped us to demonstrate BT’s long history of innovation, customer service and social responsibility. The campaign differentiated us from our competition in an imaginative and unique way.
– Nicola Rossi, Director of Communications, BT Health 2008

Business archives used by the team

  • Images from BT Archives collections of products and services provided to the NHS
  • Copies of historical marketing collateral publicising past products and services
  • Information and personal stories sourced from internal journals

Outcomes and business benefit

  • Research in the archives revealed that BT’s relationship with the NHS extended back to the origins of the health service in 1948, with the development of the first NHS provided hearing aid by telecommunications research engineers.
  • The Archives supported a journalist commissioned to write an article charting BT’s association with the NHS over the previous 60 years.
  • The historical article was published as a downloadable document on a commemorative website along with an online version, examples of BT adverts marking NHS60, downloadable images and other resources.
  • The campaign was picked up by the print and radio media (one of BT's Archivists was interviewed on radio), and was successful in portraying BT as a longstanding and natural partner to the NHS in providing communications solutions for NHS people and patients throughout the six decades of its history.