This chapter discusses Aetna's public education campaign to increase consumers' understanding of their health insurance plans. It conducted research that found over half of women faced challenges making health benefits decisions due to lack of understanding. Aetna launched PlanForYourHealth.com which used a life stages approach and celebrity spokesperson. The campaign generated over 400 million media impressions in its first year and had 50-60% positive consumer views. Going forward, Aetna will need to adapt the campaign to changing consumer needs while keeping its goal of helping consumers maximize their health benefits.
2. Chapter 10
Plan for Your Health: A Public
Education Campaign to Build
Awareness and Gain Consumer
Preference
3. Learning Objectives
• Understand how marketing research can
unearth insights into consumer behavior and
lay the foundation for long-term strategic
communication plans.
• Discuss how to create win-win scenarios by
properly aligning with strategic partners to
bolster reach of campaign messages.
4. Learning Objectives
• Leverage survey data, events, and
spokespersons to pique key media interest and
increase visibility of public education
campaigns.
• Recognize how public education and health
communication campaigns need to evolve and
adapt over time to remain relevant to target
audiences.
5. Demystifying a Complex Industry
• Most people acknowledge they don’t
fully understand their health insurance
plan.
• The lack of understanding may be due to
the increased growth of new consumer-
directed plans that employers began to
6. Demystifying a Complex Industry
• Aetna decided to help consumers understand
—and maximize—their health benefits
7. Demonstrate the Value of
Understanding Health Benefits
• Empowered consumers will be able to make
the best use of their health benefits
– Make health benefits interesting and relevant to the
consumer
– Educate people on the basic workings of health
insurance.
10. Consumer Survey
• What is the average consumer’s baseline of
knowledge Identify the audience
• Seek help from an research company that can
conduct a survey
• Assess the results
• Craft a response
11. Aetna’s Response
• PlanforYourHealth.com: Aetna’s response to
survey results that had identified that more
than half of women surveyed faced challenges
in making health benefits decisions.
• Life Stages Approach: Aetna’s focused Web
strategy
• A celebrity spokesperson
• A media event
12. Reaching Consumers
• Aetna’s campaign generated 401 million
media impressions by the end of the first year
resulting in 50-60% positive view among
customers
• It initiated several follow up campaigns and
status checks, including a For Dummies guide,
reaching out to a broader population base, and
empowering the uninsured
13. Adapting for the Future
• Aetna’s campaign will need to evolve and
adjust to keep pace with the changing needs of
consumers
• The overarching mission—helping consumers
get the most from their health benefits—will
remain the campaign’s primary goal.
