Playbook for Health

What Playbook for Health does

Playbook for Health is a privately held, New York-based professional services consultancy that advises U.S. healthcare systems on building, optimizing, and measuring sports, entertainment, and lifestyle marketing partnerships. Founded in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic (and rebranded in 2021 from its prior identity Bendigo), the firm serves enterprise clients including NYU Langone Health, Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (CommonSpirit), Emory Healthcare, Kettering Health, Hackensack Meridian Health, and Roper St. Francis Healthcare — engagements typically span sponsorship strategy, activation planning and execution, cause marketing, experiential marketing, corporate partnerships, and analytics. The firm's sub-brands Playbook Analytics (proprietary research methodologies including Brand Tracker, ROI Contribution Tracker, Portfolio Optimization, Media & Asset Valuation, and Brand Health tools) and Playbook Experiential (event design and execution) extend the service line beyond pure advisory.

The firm generates revenue through quote-based, bespoke consulting engagements sold via direct enterprise sales to healthcare system CEOs, CMOs, Chief Strategy Officers, and Foundation executives. GTM relies on industry conference presence (HMPS, SHSMD), thought-leadership content (blog, The Play by Play newsletter), and earned media (Sports Business Journal, Columbia CUSP podcast). Geographic reach is U.S.-domestic, with offices in New York City, Seattle, Denver, Salt Lake City, Richmond, and San Francisco. Documented client outcomes include over $10 million raised through the Tackle Kids Cancer program since 2015, a Fast54 stroke awareness campaign generating 250K+ social engagements and $300K+ for the Phenia Mae Fund, and a PepsiCo $325,000 annual commitment plus nearly $3 million in negotiated donations for Hackensack Meridian Health. The firm is founder-operated, with 1-10 employees and no disclosed institutional funding.

Name

Playbook for Health

Legal name

Playbook for Health

Website

https://playbookforhealth.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Playbook for Health is a U.S.-based healthcare marketing consultancy that helps enterprise health systems build, activate, and measure sports, entertainment, and cause-marketing partnerships using proprietary Playbook Analytics research tools.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

New York

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sponsorship Strategy & Consulting: Engagements focused on helping healthcare brands build, optimize, and measure sports and entertainment sponsorship strategies aligned with strategic priorities. Services span sponsorship strategy, activation planning and execution, innovation and cause marketing, and analytics and performance measurement.
2. Activation Planning & Execution: Full-service activation of sports and entertainment sponsorships — from campaign development and execution to onsite event management and post-event measurement.
3. Playbook Analytics & Research: Proprietary research and analytics services delivered to healthcare systems, providing brand tracking, ROI contribution analysis, portfolio optimization, media valuation, and custom research — all using methods built specifically for healthcare-sports sponsorship measurement.
4. Cause Marketing Services: Strategic cause marketing consulting — developing and executing fundraising campaigns, partnership development, sourcing additional corporate funds, and activation and support for cause-driven sports partnerships.
5. Experiential Marketing: Experiential event design and execution for healthcare brands, including campaign development, partnership management, onsite activation, and results measurement for live branded experiences.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Playbook for Health is a specialized consultancy that helps healthcare systems (hospitals, health networks, and health systems) build, optimize, and measure sports, entertainment, lifestyle, and brand partnerships. The firm delivers strategy, activation, experiential marketing, cause marketing, corporate partnership development, and proprietary analytics (Playbook Analytics) services tailored to each client's strategic priorities.

Product overview

Playbook for Health is a sports and healthcare marketing partnership agency that operates as a platform of interconnected services. The core offerings include Sponsorship Strategy & Consulting, Activation Planning & Execution, Experiential Marketing, Playbook Analytics (research and measurement tools), Corporate Partnerships, and Cause Marketing services. These services are delivered through named programs and initiatives including Tackle Kids Cancer, Healthy ATL, Fast54, Save the Dey, and NYU Langone Sports Health Partnership Program, with the company specializing in helping healthcare brands build, optimize, and measure marketing and medical partnerships with sports teams, events, and entertainment properties.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Playbook Analytics: Proprietary research methodologies and analytics tools to evaluate ROI and ROO of sports partnerships for healthcare systems. Includes Brand Tracker, ROI Contribution Tracker, Portfolio Optimization, Media + Asset Valuation, Custom Research, and Brand Health measurement tools.
• Playbook Experiential

Products and services

• Sponsorship Strategy & Consulting Data-informed consulting engagements that connect healthcare brands with sports and entertainment partners aligned to their strategic priorities, setting the stage for impactful activations that drive measurable ROI.
• Activation Planning & Execution Strategic campaign planning and full-service execution that brings sponsorships to life — engaging fans, building brand loyalty, and showcasing partnerships with sports teams — including onsite event management and post-event measurement.
• Experiential Marketing (Playbook Experiential) Experiential event design and execution for healthcare brands, including campaign development, partnership management, onsite activation, and results measurement for live branded experiences that drive brand awareness, leads, and loyalty.
• Playbook Analytics Proprietary research and analytics services for healthcare systems providing brand tracking, ROI contribution analysis, portfolio optimization, media and asset valuation, and custom research — using methodologies built specifically for healthcare-sports sponsorship measurement and benchmarked against national healthcare-sports sponsorship data.
• Corporate Partnerships Transforms vendor relationships into high-impact brand collaborations, identifying strategic corporate partners in beverage, apparel, auto, and tech sectors who co-invest in visibility and community engagement with healthcare brands.
• Cause Marketing Strategic alliance development for healthcare brands to boost awareness, educate communities, and secure vital funding through partnerships with leagues, teams, and influencers — including fundraising campaigns, partnership development, sourcing additional corporate funds, and activation support for cause-driven sports partnerships.

Quantifiable outcome

• Fans aware of a healthcare brand's team sponsorship are 50% more likely to have visited the system in the last two years (MLB research)
• +9 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

21 partnerships are on record, tiered core and secondary.

• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / Seattle SeahawkscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2019Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (now CommonSpirit Health Pacific Northwest) serves as the Official Healthcare Provider and Proud Partner in Health of the Seattle Seahawks. Partnerships include Crucial Catch cancer screenings, Fast54 stroke awareness campaign, Seahawks Village at Boeing Classic, and community health programs. The Seahawks supported the co-founding of the Boeing Classic golf tournament benefiting the Benaroya Research Institute.
• Hackensack Meridian Health / New York GiantscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Playbook helped transform the New York Giants Touchdown Fund into Tackle Kids Cancer, a comprehensive cause-marketing and crowdfunding platform benefiting the Children's Cancer Institute at Hackensack Meridian Health. Eli Manning served as spokesperson. The program has raised over $10 million since inception through organic storytelling, corporate partnerships (PepsiCo, ShopRite, Inserra Supermarkets), and fan engagement campaigns including crowdfunding, auctions, and athletic experiences.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / Seattle MarinerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVMFH is the Proud Partner in Health of the Seattle Mariners. Programs include vaccination clinics at T-Mobile Park, prostate cancer screenings with Fans for the Cure, 'Runs for Research' campaign benefiting neuroscience and spine research, and fan engagement during Opening Night welcoming 9,000 fans back after 550-day COVID closure.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / Seattle KrakencoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVMFH is a partner of the NHL's Seattle Kraken. Programs include 'Make a Play for Your Health' podcast series featuring Tyler Lockett, Hockey Fights Cancer fundraising with JT Brown, and an integrated clinic inside the Seattle Kraken Community Iceplex where the pro team trains.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / Seattle Sounders FCsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVMFH partnered with Sounders FC for vaccination clinics at matches and in socio-economic disadvantaged South Seattle locations, co-branded vaccination card holders at games, and support for the Boeing Classic tournament beneficiary Benaroya Research Institute.
• PepsiCo / AquafinacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPepsiCo (through its Aquafina water brand) is a corporate partner of Tackle Kids Cancer, having committed $325,000 annually and an additional $100,000 one-time donation to benefit pediatric cancer research and patient programs at Hackensack Meridian Health's Children's Cancer Institute. PepsiCo also ran retail activations in ShopRite and Inserra Supermarkets throughout New Jersey.
• Emory Healthcare / Atlanta FalconscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmory Healthcare is the Official Healthcare Provider of the Atlanta Falcons. Programs include Healthy ATL with a $300,000 annual matching pledge from Matt Ryan to fight health disparities, Crucial Catch cancer screening campaigns, Healthy Dads Initiative, and recruitment messaging at Falcons games for the Winship Cancer Institute.
• Emory Healthcare / Atlanta BravessecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmory Healthcare is the Official Healthcare Provider of the Atlanta Braves. Programs include sun safety activations at games with educational components and free sun safety kits, Lou Gehrig's Day ALS Awareness game activations, and World Series parade co-branding opportunity.
• Emory Healthcare / Atlanta HawkssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmory partnered with the Atlanta Hawks to address vaccine hesitancy through PSA campaigns featuring vaccinated Hawks players, coaches, and alumni, as well as the 'Take the Shot' initiative with Dominique Wilkins.
• Kettering Health / Cincinnati BengalscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKettering Health is the Official Healthcare Provider of the Cincinnati Bengals. Programs include first-ever Crucial Catch month focusing on seven screenable cancers, bell-ringing ceremonies for survivors at Paycor Stadium, 'Save the Dey' CPR training event with the American Heart Association and Cintas, and Bengals Legends visits to Kettering Health Cancer Center.
• NYU Langone Health / Brooklyn ItalianssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNYU Langone partnered with the Brooklyn Italians to offer athletes and their families exclusive concierge services for both in-person and video appointments, supporting the health system's position as Official Medical Services Provider for athletes across NYC.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / Boeing ClassiccoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Boeing Classic (PGA Tour Champions) was co-founded by the Seattle Seahawks, Boeing, and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health. The tournament benefits the Benaroya Research Institute at VMFH, which has raised more than $10 million for immuno-compromised research. Playbook Experiential developed 'Seahawks Village' fan zone activation at the 2024 tournament.
• Bobby Wagner / Virginia Mason Franciscan HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerNFL linebacker Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks) partnered with VMFH following the loss of his mother Phenia Mae to a stroke. The Fast54 campaign features a comic book starring Bobby as a superhero teaching F.A.S.T. stroke awareness signs, generating 250K+ social engagements and raising $300K+ for the Phenia Mae Fund at VMFH.
• Matt Ryan / Emory HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan partnered with Emory Healthcare as the face of the Healthy ATL initiative and Healthy Dads campaign. Ryan committed a $300,000 annual matching pledge to fight health disparities across Georgia, making him a key influencer in Emory's cause marketing and fundraising programs.
• Tyler Lockett / Virginia Mason Franciscan HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerSeattle Seahawks wide receiver Tyler Lockett supports and advocates for heart health with VMFH by donating signed memorabilia and unique experiences to raise funds and awareness, including appearances on the 'Make a Play for Your Health' podcast series.
• Eli Manning / Hackensack Meridian HealthcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormer New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning serves as the founder and spokesperson for Tackle Kids Cancer. Manning's organic storytelling as a father — not as a Giants QB — has inspired community engagement and crowdfunding, raising over $10 million for pediatric cancer research. His annual challenge and matching gifts continue in retirement.
• Kettering Health / Spooky Nook SportssecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerKettering Health and Ortho Associates established medical clinics within the Spooky Nook indoor sports complex (PA and OH locations), reaching over 2.4 million annual visitors. This integrated facility approach provides sports injury care and serves as a destination for youth athletes and families seeking healthcare.
• Emory Healthcare / Atlanta Falcons Practice ComplexsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerEmory Healthcare opened a 29,000 sq. ft. Emory Orthopaedics & Spine Center at the Atlanta Falcons practice complex (Flowery Branch), offering comprehensive orthopaedic and sports medicine services, research, and outreach programs — a flagship example of integrated sports-healthcare facilities.
• Virginia Mason Franciscan Health / AmazonsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerVMFH teamed up with Amazon to launch joint Sunday vaccination clinics at Amazon's corporate headquarters in Seattle. In the first two weeks, 4,600 patients were vaccinated, demonstrating public-private sector integration to address COVID-19.
• Kettering Health / American Heart Association / CintassecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerKettering Health partnered with the American Heart Association and Cintas to launch the 'Save the Dey' campaign — hands-only CPR training at Paycor Stadium following Damar Hamlin's on-field collapse. Over 500 fans learned CPR at the event, with schools receiving lifesaving kits.
• New York Knicks / Hackensack Meridian HealthsecondaryStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe New York Knicks activate the 'Block Out Cancer' initiative through Tackle Kids Cancer, donating $50 for every block throughout the season and running a crowdfunding component to encourage individuals to raise money for pediatric cancer research.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Emerging players

• Hookit: Sports sponsorship analytics and valuation platform serving brands and rights holders. Comparable to Playbook Analytics in measurement focus, but a tech platform rather than a managed-services consultancy.
• Zoomph: Sponsorship analytics platform providing ROI measurement and media valuation across sports partnerships. Directly comparable to Playbook Analytics in offering, though narrower in healthcare specialization.

Broad incumbents

• Ketchum: Global communications firm (Omnicom) with established sports marketing and healthcare practices. Provides comparable services (strategy, partnerships, cause marketing) at significantly greater scale and with broader media reach than Playbook.
• Jack Morton: Global brand experience agency (IPG) with dedicated sports and healthcare client portfolios. Larger and broader than Playbook, but overlaps meaningfully on experiential and sponsorship activation services for major health brands.

Direct peers

• rEvolution: Independent, full-service sports marketing agency with healthcare and sponsorship experience. Comparable to Playbook in scale and service mix — sponsorship strategy, activation, and measurement — making it a natural like-for-like competitor.
• Momentum Worldwide: Global experiential marketing agency (part of IPG) with deep sports, entertainment, and healthcare client work. Comparable integrated model combining strategy, activation, and experiential — directly analogous to Playbook for Health's service stack.
• Leverage Agency: Independent sports marketing and sponsorship agency with athlete partnership expertise and brand activation capabilities. Closely matches Playbook's boutique scale and full-service model spanning strategy, partnerships, and content.
• Octagon: One of the largest global sports marketing agencies, providing sponsorship consulting, athlete management, and experiential marketing for brands including healthcare brands. Closest large-scale analog to Playbook's full-service sports marketing model, though operating at materially greater scale.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/playbookforhealth
• Xx.com/PBFHealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/PBFHealth

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Playbook for Health