FIGS was founded with a purpose — to serve those who serve others, empower and celebrate the healthcare community. When COVID-19 hit, this mission became even more critical and it was imperative to show the world what we’ve seen all along – the excellence of our healthcare community.
The goal of the New Icons campaign was to share and celebrate the grit, sacrifice, commitment and resilience necessary to make it medicine. We set out to parallel a medical professional’s performance to that of an athlete.
By recognizing the outstanding achievements of the next generation of healthcare professionals, FIGS also set out to foster a deeper sense of connection and pride amongst its community when they needed it most. At its core, this campaign was about capturing a unique moment in history where healthcare was being recognized and to celebrate that and encourage future generations to see themselves as we do – as ICONS.
In July 2020 FIGS launched its New Icons Campaign – a 360-degree campaign presenting healthcare professionals in the same iconic light as professional athletes have been traditionally portrayed.
The campaign included commercial films telling the stories of five healthcare professionals, out of home placements, a capsule collection, digital and social content and the launch of a giving initiative to support the next generation of healthcare professionals - The New Icons Grant.
Five grant winners were selected from thousands of healthcare industry applicants and each received $50,000 to help pay for tuition and student loans. The campaign celebrated the New Icons Grant winners, highlighting their real-life journeys and goals.
Grant recipients included Bassel, a pharmacy student who left wartorn Syria and chose his specialty after witnessing the devastating effects of lack of access to vaccines and medication; Austin, a biomedical sciences student pursuing a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine to work with exotic animals and teach children about protecting wildlife; Michelle, a frontline PA at the US Customs and Border Patrol facility in Texas; Khara, an Army veteran who now runs a COVID-19 clinic in the Unuit town of Utqiaġvik, Alaska and Christine, pediatric fellow, mom of four and advocate for foster children.
While the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the courage and selflessness of frontline healthcare professionals in unprecedented ways, FIGS has been celebrating these heroes from day one.
This campaign successfully showcased the authentic experiences of healthcare professionals through interviews with the New Icons grant recipients and their families.
The FIGS community engaged with these videos shared online and via social media and celebrated the relentless optimism, determination and resilience of medical workers.
The videos and posts created during this campaign generated more than 1.26 million views and likes across all platforms. The campaign also had a 38% engagement rate. In total $500,000 in grants were distributed to five healthcare professionals as part of the New Icons program.
