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GOLD OGILVY WINNER: IMPACT ON THE WORLD
ADVERTISER: Cigna
AGENCIES: OMD, McCann New York, MRM//McCann
RESEARCH: Ipsos, LBR Insight
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MARKETING CHALLENGE
Heading into health insurance open-enrollment season, Cigna needed a campaign that continued its mission of promoting preventive care. The goal of the campaign is to drive awareness and consideration for Cigna—and motivate Americans to get an annual checkup. The Center for Disease Control estimates that U.S citizens use preventive care at only half the recommended rate; as many as 100,000 lives could be saved if every American had an annual checkup.
Cigna targeted two audiences. For the "health engaged"—people who are proactive about preventive care—the message would drive brand awareness and consideration. The "health unengaged," or less proactive, additionally would be prompted to get their annual checkups. The message would need to break through the clutter of health communications and come from a relatable, influential source—the attention-grabbing power of the most recognizable doctors played by famous actors on U.S. television series.
METHODOLOGY
Partnering with LBR Insight, Cigna fielded qualitative concept testing in two cities. A screening survey recruited respondents from both the "health engaged" and "health unengaged" targets. A discussion guide pressure-tested the creative idea among the two targets, leading to the finding that the "unengaged" would require more exposure to the campaign to take preventive-care action.
The researchers used Nielsen ratings data to assemble a list of the highest-rated medical procedural dramas and comedies. Search engine data with various time-period filters helped gauge buzz around each program and ensure that each selected show was breakthrough when it premiered but also still relevant today. After landing "M*A*S*H," "ER," "Scrubs," "House" and "Grey's Anatomy" as anchor shows, the researchers identified the main and most recognizable actor from each and used E-Poll1 scores to ensure awareness, likeability, and trustworthiness across the board. Each actor's profile was assessed for any ties to health and wellness to ensure alignment with Cigna's overall mission.
Focus groups then exposed respondents to rough cuts of the creative work. Quantitative copy testing using Ipsos ASI:Connect exposed the campaign in a natural environment, recreating the distraction of multiple messages to assess whether the campaign and message would break through and create attention. Neuroscientific facial coding methods were used to select the strongest creative option.
CREATIVE EXECUTION AND RESULTS
"The TV Doctors of America" advertising campaign featured actors Alan Alda ("M*A*S*H"), Patrick Dempsey ("Grey's Anatomy"), Noah Wyle ("ER"), Lisa Edelstein ("House") and Donald Faison ("Scrubs") in fictional hospital settings. In one spot, Alda, a surgeon admits comically, "I have no idea what I'm doing." The message is heartfelt: go to a real doctor for an annual checkup and take control of your health.
The campaign launched with high-impact broadcast television. Fans could engage with it on various platforms—the celebrity doctors' social media pages, Cigna's dedicated social command center the night of the Emmy awards, and on Twitter, where Cigna purchased the hashtag #GoKnowControl—its campaign call to action. A digital re-targeting strategy promoted each of the three "Go," "Know," and "Take Control" campaign pillars.
Among the business results, on social media there was a 55 percent positive sentiment rate around the brand during the campaign launch, compared with an average of 8 percent for Cigna's competitors. Brank linkage ratios were significantly above norms, and to date, Cigna has reported a 400 percent increase in web traffic, and more than 3.5 billion media impressions earned. Quantitative testing showed that 40 percent of viewers planned to schedule a checkup—and that consideration of Cigna as a health insurer was significantly higher—after seeing this campaign.
1. E-Poll Market Research↩