The Ontario Nurses Association (ONA) is back for a rematch, with an ad campaign that continues its sports analogy of highlighting frontline nurses as invaluable superstars.

The union has once again teamed up with Doug & Serge, which planned and created the campaign, for a new radio spot titled “The Super Shift” that plays like a commercial for a marquee boxing match.

This campaign also features an added element of transit ads that launch Dec. 3, and will appear on bus shelters in 12 Ontario markets, including Toronto, Sudbury, Ottawa and Windsor.

Peter Birt, manager, communications and government relations, ONA, tells MiC the campaign targets all Ontarians, but primarily women with children, who are caregivers and tend to be most concerned about healthcare.

He adds that this campaign differs because it also features a call to action. Radio ads will encourage listeners to go to the ONA website and share their healthcare stories, while transit ads will have QR codes that people can scan to do the same.

The first sports-themed campaign kicked off in April with a series of radio spots, including one where boys are trading collector cards of nurses (pictured). According to Birt it was a big success, winning two Canadian Association of Labour Media Awards, including a runner up prize for its radio spots, and an award for overall campaign creativity.

“We don’t have a lot of money. We can’t do it like big consumer products or a lot of other advertisers,” he says, noting that for ONA, campaign creativity is more important than big media buys.

Phase one of the new campaign will run until just before Christmas. It will pick up again in January and run until the end of March.