Cox’s brand purpose is to help people have more meaningful human connections. But to many of its customers, Cox is just the regional cable and internet provider they’re stuck with – a utility bill at best – not a brand that shares their values. We wanted to change that.

The objective: To strengthen Cox's relationship with its customers by improving overall brand sentiment and trust in a highly commoditized and negatively perceived space.

The challenge: Show people that Cox is not just a number you call when internet connection is down, but a brand you can count on when human connection is down.

The brief: Create a bold, real-world solution that brings Cox’s brand purpose to life by providing real, human connection wherever it’s needed.

70% of Black women report not being listened to by their doctors, and they are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related issues than white women. This data exposes the health inequality gap that exists in our society. We looked to address the issue by creating "Stethoscope with a Heart", a device that listens to help doctors listen. When turned on during medical exams, the device records patient visits and gives feedback to doctors based on the three critical metrics: interruptions, balance of conversation, and the overuse of medical jargon. It translates this data into easy to understand, positive reinforcement and gives helpful pushes to the doctors, allowing them to track their performance over time and improve their relationship with this neglected group of patients.

As we looked for the best way to change physician behavior, we knew it would be a touchy subject. Most doctors don’t want subjective critiques on their performance. They become offended and shut off.

So we partnered with experts from the University of California San Diego Medical School and Sanford Institute of Empathy and Compassion, and we learned that, while they don’t want to be told what they are doing wrong, doctors are very open to data, and data driven results. We realized that this was our way into making change. Together with our expert partners, we determined key data points to measure in creating better listening, then determined how to communicate and visualize that data in ways that doctors could learn from. When doctors view their results, they see a combination of hard data paired with messages of positive reinforcement for a more human touch.

In an effort to use technology to bring more listening and better communication to the doctor-patient relationship, specifically in relation to Black female patients, we created “Stethoscope With A Heart.” A device that listens to help doctors listen. Developed over 12 months in cooperation with the University of California San Diego Medical School and the Sanford Institute of Empathy and Compassion, the device records patient visits, analyzes the data, then provides feedback to doctors on three key metrics: balance of conversation, interruptions, and the use of complex medical terms. Doctors track their progress through the companion Heart App, which gives positive reinforcements and gentle pushes to adjust behavior over time.

To tell this story, we created films documenting the experience for both doctors and patients. The campaign launched on online and social platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Snapchat, and TikTok, and ran across all 18 states across the Cox footprint.

The "Stethoscope with a Heart" prototype has received an overwhelmingly positive response from both patients and from the medical community, which expressed the need for such a device. The simple aggregation and expression of data provided by the device has proven invaluable to doctors who tested it, helping them become more aware and present, and foster deeper connections with their patients. The feedback from physicians has inspired Cox leadership to expand their plans for the device, in hopes of offering the technology to the more than 100,000 hospitals and health care providers that they currently serve.