The Health Employers Associate of BC (HEABC) is the publicly-funded entity that provides bargaining and recruitment services to British Columbia’s health authorities and other health employers. Their recruitment services are delivered through their external brand, known as Health Match BC (HMBC).
Although HMBC had successfully recruited many of Canadian and Internationally Educated Health Professionals to British Columbia, in 2021, they were looking for an external vendor to develop and execute a new multimedia international marketing campaign to recruit Internationally Educated Nurses to fill vacancies at BC’s public health employers. Proximis was engaged as the sole creative vendor to provide these services.
Stakeholder Coordination
British Columbia’s eight health authorities were the major stakeholders in this project – each providing input as the campaign developed. Proximis provided stakeholder coordination services by presenting materials to representatives from the health authorities and incorporating their feedback – no easy feat! We also ensured that all stakeholders had input throughout the development of all the major creative products, including design, video, and web.
Research
Proximis conducted focus group research to test assumptions and background information that were material to the campaign, as well as responses to visuals and messaging. Later on in the campaign, we took the opportunity to add on marketing-related questions to required intake forms in order to generate additional insights. This data, along with structured advertising metrics, have allowed the campaign to continually recalibrate and improve performance.
Brand Development
Informed by research, Proximis began the campaign brand development. We created a visual identity including brand colours, visual elements, typography, icons, and sample graphics. The work was designed to incorporate elements that connected with British Columbia’s beautiful landscape, vibrant outdoor-based lifestyle, and modern healthcare delivery system. Additionally, we developed the campaign’s key messaging.Finally, in consultation with the client and stakeholders, we facilitated the decision on the brand name. It was also important to consider the voice that the campaign would communicate in. Noting that it was a collaboration between several different government entities in the healthcare sector, the language had to be professional and precise. HMBC had previous experience in marketingBC as a destination for healthcare professionals – messaging that is inherently exciting – and with this exciting message track was able to be incorporated into the campaign.
Website
Proximis planned, designed, and built a brand-new website“Build Your Nursing Future in British Columbia, Canada” (http://www.nursingjobsbc.ca)using the newly established visual identity and key messaging. The website development was split into 2 phases. The first phase encompassed the creation of an initial landing page, offering essential details about the campaign, alongside a sign-up form designed to spark interest. Proximis was responsible for the integration and testing of the form.
In Phase 2, the comprehensive website was established as the central hub for nursing job information, housing an array of videos and hosting various forms. Developed and designed using WordPress, the website was optimized for excellent performance, seamless viewing on multiple devices, and a high level of accessibility. The website included visuals of nurses and scenic landscapes of British Columbia to attract international interest. As the campaign progressed, Proximis took over responsibility for creating and managing multiple data forms. While this responsibility was eventually transferred back to the client’s in-house IT team, Proximis retained responsibility for the integration of the forms on the website. Additionally, we played a major role in ensuring that the forms, and their data were secure, by conducting audits into the information submitted, and leading the process of re-developing procedures to ensure data security. This involved developing a robust plan for content exports from the website. Ongoing site audits and maintenance have been performed by Proximis to continuously ensure site performance and reliability alongside robust search engine optimization for enhanced search visibility. Additionally, we have generated content for the website on a continuous basis since launch, including web video, infographics, and long form content. For example, we are in the process of an initiative called “Nursing Stories,” where we are interviewing and writing short profile articles about nurses who came to Canada.
Social Media & Advertising
Following the website launch, Proximis planned and initiated an international paid digital advertising campaign targeted to nurses around the world who would be interested in re-locating to BC, as well as internationally educated nurses already in Canada but not yet working in our healthcare system. The work involved the development of a comprehensive marketing plan, including audience targeting, copywriting, visual elements, and the strategic selection of advertising platforms, all within an established budgetary framework for the fiscal year. These advertisements incorporated both graphic design and other visual content such as videos and photos. Comprehensive analysis, reporting, and optimization was conducted on an ongoing basis, providing continual improvement to the campaign as it progressed.
We also began the regular creation of social media content, through regular content calendars. These re-purposed the campaign’s key messaging in a format optimized for social media, with ready-to-go creative assets and messages for various social media platforms.
Video production
To support the website content, social media, and digital advertising, Proximis traveled to all regions of BC and filmed with 15internationally educated nurses from 9 countries, all who enthusiastically agreed to be part of the campaign. Proximis coordinated all logistics including planning calls with stakeholder and interview participants, scheduling, and creative production plans.
Proximis travelled to different parts of BC spanningNorthern, Interior, Fraser, Coastal, and Island regions. The nurses wereinterviewed within their respective health authority, offering insights intotheir professional lives, while also capturing glimpses of their personalexperiences. The filming process provided opportunities to capture authenticlifestyle moments such as recreational activities, nature hikes, and familylife. Filming resulted in the production of 7 regional videos, 1 provincial featurevideo, and more than a dozen short videos for which Proximis handled all stagesof development including editing, audio mixing, motion graphics & design,along with subtitle transcription and formatting.
These videos were not only utilized on the campaign websitebut also formed an integral part of our social media, and digital advertisingefforts both with the videos themselves, as well as in the high-quality imagesextracted for use in additional materials across the campaign.
Supporting In-Person Events
HMBC staff organized a series of in-person events in the UK& Ireland, known as the “Roadshow.” In order to support these events, Proximis supported by developing the necessary event collateral. These include presentations, print material, and event booths. We also supported the event by developing and running a separate digital advertising campaign, with unique ads, landing pages, and targeting, specifically to recruit nurses to these events.
Brand Update
After the initial launch phase of the NJBC campaign, the brand was significantly updated in order to align with the Ministry of Health’s new BC Health Careers (BCHC) initiative. As a result, we developed a new colour set and simplified visual language, in order to better harmonize the two brands. This took extensive work, as the exact details of how the brands would live together required input from various interested parties. Eventually, we ended up pitching the idea of BCHC being positioned as a “Network,”within which the various other sub-brands would live. This idea ended up being enthusiastically embraced and is now in the process of being implemented by the NJBC campaign and other HEABC campaigns.
Reporting & Outcome Analysis
Throughout the campaign, we have made it a priority to integrate our performance monitoring reporting framework into a regular cadence that is most optimal for our client. For this reason, we settled on a quarterly reporting cycle. Through several iterations, we settled on a standard reporting format that provides all of the key metrics information, including spend, website hits, cost-per-click, conversions, and cost-per conversion. These metrics were also regularly broken down by platform, target country, creative asset type, and creative messaging theme in order to provide insights as to how the campaign could be further optimized. All in, these reports have formed the key information required for detailed outcomes reporting and analysis. Based on these insights, we have been regularly proposing and implementing adjustments and improvements since launch.
Making a Difference Through Measureable Impacts
In the first year, the campaign generated significant results with tens of thousands of leads from interested nurses around the world, a majority of which were driven to the website through our advertising.The ads resonated strongly, and the brand gained recognition among nurses and health employers. In fact, as of Spring 2024, 441,000 users had visited the website, and 34,000 nurses had filled out an expression of interest form.Moreover, the material had proved so persuasive that fully 59% of the 348 attendees at the first UK & Ireland Roadshow were ready to begin their relocation journey to BC. This initial outcome information is viewable in a case study video here: https://vimeo.com/1052674341/491ff9cf8a?ts=0&share=copy.
In late 2024 and into 2025, the campaign shifted its efforts to focus more directly on the U.S. market, taking advantage of growing interest in Canada from American healthcare professionals. As noted by the BC Government on May 12, 2025, “Record numbers of US nurses are coming toBC to work.”
Our work was featured in several major news outlets. Here is a sample of the coverage:
B.C. recruits more nurses from across the border. CTV News BC, May13, 2025 :https://www.ctvnews.ca/vancouver/video/2025/05/13/bc-recruits-more-nurses-from-across-the-border/
B.C. has recruited over 100 U.S. nursesin just over a month after streamlining credentialing. Vancouver Sun, May 12, 2025. https://vancouversun.com/news/bc-scooped-100-nurses-streamlining-credentials
‘Trump’s loss’: More U.S. nurses seekingjobs in B.C., government says. Times Colonist, May13, 2025 https://www.timescolonist.com/local-news/trumps-loss-more-us-nurses-seeking-jobs-in-bc-government-says-10650889
As of present time, the campaign is continuing.