What they were up against

Over many years, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota (BCBS-MN) earned the position as the preferred Medicare health insurance option in Minnesota, amassing a 50% market share. In 2018 however, for the first time, the state legislature gave for-profit health plan giants like Aetna, Humana and UnitedHealthcare the opportunity to penetrate the market, creating a new competitive threat. Meanwhile, the federal government terminated support for many of our client’s most popular Medicare plans, forcing 300,000 seniors to change their health plans. As the enrollment window neared, BCBS-MN needed to strengthen their marketing to break through a commodity perception through a complementary initiative focused on opportunities for seniors to live active, healthy lives.

What we did to help

Understanding that BCBS-MN has an 85-year history of unparalleled scale, services, coverage and choice—and they also own the position as the leading advocate for healthy living in Minnesota—we saw a chance to inspire people by celebrating real Minnesotans with the tenacity to overcome obstacles and live their very best lives, regardless of age. We selected the annual Minnesota Senior Games, for athletes aged 50+, as the perfect platform to engage active seniors, highlighting their stories through an authentic, documentary-style production approach. During the Games, we documented the performance of six athletes ages 54 to 89. Over 11 days and across seven cities, we visited their homes, met their families and captured their stories. This effort resulted in TV spots, web videos, social content, print ads and a 30-minute film that was screened in theaters before being featured on every major network across Minnesota. We executed 20 unique posters for a Twin Cities Nice Ride bike sponsorship and negotiated a six-year exclusive title sponsorship with the Minnesota Senior Games.

With 83% campaign recall (2-3x all others in the marketplace), the “Better with Age” campaign exceeded enrollment goals for both retention and acquisition and was the top performing campaign in driving consideration among 35 U.S. BCBS campaigns.