Client: PlanSource (Orlando, Florida)
Agency: Grayling (San Francisco)
Campaign: OneMarket Exchange Launch
Duration: October 20 – October 31
Budget: about $20,000
PlanSource sells software and services that help manage healthcare and related benefits programs.
In October, the company’s AOR Grayling helped broadly launch OneMarket Exchange, a private healthcare insurance exchange platform that provides a marketplace for employees shopping for health and benefit options and enabling employers to manage the entire backend business process.
Prior to the launch, clients such as Aetna and the state of Utah were using the technology to power their own branded healthcare exchange platforms.
"OneMarket Exchange is very topical given healthcare reform," says PlanSource co-founder and president Scott Carver. "It was critical to elevate awareness through a variety channels."
Strategy
HR professionals and employee healthcare stakeholders were targeted through media relations, social media outreach, and PlanSource’s blog.
"HR and benefits professionals go through a painful process of re-educating employees on benefits every fall, and OneMarket alleviates a lot of that pain," Carver notes.
Results of a Harris Poll survey that uncovered opinions about open enrollment helped drive messaging.
Tactics
A product microsite launched September 1.
Benefits trade publications and journalists and influencers focused on open enrollment and private exchanges were targeted in October.
Survey findings and OneMarket product details were pitched. Findings revealed facts such as more than half of 2,000 employees surveyed thought the traditional open enrollment process was a waste of time, with 23% noting they would rather go to the dentist.
"We included questions that illustrated in a humorous way just how tedious traditional open enrollment is to start conversations about why OneMarket is a better alternative," says agency SVP Curtis Sparrer. "Results helped us create a story that was easily sharable on Twitter, which helped drive coverage in a variety of key publications."
Links to earned coverage and OneMarket information were posted to PlanSource’s LinkedIn page.
Posts covering private exchange market dynamics and buying tips were written for PlanSource’s blog
Results
Carver reports sales have increased about 60% since the launch.
"The technology was previously generating in the neighborhood of $3 million in sales," he adds. "We anticipate sales will quadruple in 2015."
October traffic to PlanSource.com was up18% compared to September.
Fourteen stories ran in outlets including WebMD, Politico, Employee Benefit News, and California Broker.
Future
Ongoing plans for OneMarket promotion include highlighting customer case studies and hosting educational events in key markets.
