Penn Medicine Launches 'First Then, First Now' Campaign Celebrating 275 Years of Medical Innovation
Key Insights
Penn Medicine (search), founded in 1751, has launched a national brand campaign titled "First Then, First Now" to mark its 275th anniversary and America's approaching 250th birthday.
The campaign, developed with agency Yard NYC (search), draws from archival materials including handwritten letters, surgical sketches, and research journals to create a "living scrapbook" of medical breakthroughs.
Key milestones highlighted include the nation's first hospital and medical school, the first maternity ward, the first X-ray image, mRNA vaccine technology, and CAR T cell therapy.
Penn Medicine (search), the institution that established America's first hospital in 1751 and the nation's first medical school in 1765, has unveiled a sweeping national brand campaign titled "First Then, First Now" — a celebration of its 275-year legacy of medical innovation timed to coincide with the United States' approaching 250th anniversary.
The campaign, developed in partnership with creative agency Yard NYC (search), transforms centuries of archival material into what the agency describes as a "living scrapbook" of medical progress. Rather than relying on conventional advertising approaches, the creative team drew directly from Penn Medicine (search)'s vast historical collections.
"Penn Medicine (search) has 250+ years of breakthroughs, but most of that history lives in archives, handwritten letters, surgical sketches, research journals, and diagrams," said Ruth Bernstein, CEO at Yard NYC (search). "We were inspired by this vast collection of real artifacts to turn the archive itself into our storytelling medium: a living scrapbook that traces the path of medical progress — and Penn Medicine's important role in that progress."
The centerpiece of the campaign is a 60-second film that animates scenes from Penn Medicine (search)'s history of life-saving breakthroughs, juxtaposing archival art direction against a powerful brand narrative. The milestones featured span from the opening of the country's first maternity ward and the development of the first X-ray image ever produced, through to modern innovations including mRNA vaccine technology and CAR T cell therapy.
Kevin B. Mahoney, CEO of the University of Pennsylvania Health System, framed the campaign within the broader historical moment. "Our own Pennsylvania Hospital laid the foundation for American medicine when it opened in 1751, and 275 years later, across Penn Medicine (search), we continue that work through pioneering research and care that change lives and redefine what's possible," Mahoney said. "With the country marking 250 years and the world's attention turning to Philadelphia, this is the right moment to connect where we began to where we are headed."
The out-of-home creative executions take the form of a city-wide scrapbook across Philadelphia, appearing on bus wraps, in subway platforms, and at baggage claim areas — each placement showcasing a distinct moment from Penn Medicine (search)'s history using genuine archival source material. Media agencies Craft & Commerce and MayoSeitz Media handled the strategic placement of these executions.
The campaign is rolling out now and will run through August across broadcast, digital, out-of-home, print, search, and audio channels. While Philadelphia serves as the campaign's anchor market, national placements extend to key markets including Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco.
Yard NYC (search) has served as Penn Medicine (search)'s agency partner since winning the account in a competitive pitch process in 2022.