Getting people to go to the doctor, even when they are sick, is hard.
Getting them to go for an annual checkup when they are feeling fine is infinitely harder.
But one health insurance company was committed to meeting the challenge: Cigna.
First, a little background.
Thanks to Health Care Reform, preventive care is now 100% covered by insurance for every American. This is huge news for Americans because the right preventive care throughout life can help prevent the onset of disease, keep diseases from becoming worse, and reduce costs so that people and their families can lead long and productive lives. In fact, the Center for Disease Control estimates that if everyone in the country received an annual checkup we could save up to 100,000 lives a year.
Yet despite preventive care's essential role in the wellness equation and the fact that it is free, the CDC estimates that Americans are only using preventive care at about half the recommended rate. Behavioral change is never easy. We knew lectures wouldn't work. Neither would scare tactics. To succeed, we would have to approach the subject unexpectedly and lightheartedly. Cigna's brand platform, summed up with the tag line "Together, all the way" is grounded in the idea that staying well means having more than a health insurance company. It means having a partner, and a partner doesn't speak to you like an impersonal corporation. A partner speaks to you from a place of deep understanding. Enter our Video Influencer Program.
We needed to flip the script and transform the perception of the annual check-up experience:
An influencer marketing strategy was concepted, as often times individuals are more likely to take recommendations or advice from people they know and trust, rather than directly from brands. Cigna picked celebrity influencers that best aligned with their various custom target segments. The 3 celebrity influencers appealed to men and women, older and younger demos, and general market and multi-cultural audiences alike.
This social-centric Preventive Care program included video content & photos in which the talent hit on Cigna's key message points in an organic way, by making these facts seem relevant to theirs and their fan's daily lives.
The below key message points were weaved seamlessly and organically into celebrity influencer videos; message points were chosen based on what would resonate most with consumers, using CDC external research & Cigna internal research, as well as ensuring that message points made consumers feel empowered with knowledge to act and take control of their health:
Talent posted the content to their social channels with WhoSay's paid support behind it to garner additional reach, and Cigna amplified on their channels by Whitelisting and using paid support as well. Channels included Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Something magical happens when authentic content paired with genuine influencers meet to address a true need in society—and that magic is results. Using WhoSay's proprietary Match Report, we were able to find influencers that resonated with a wide audience, all with the noble goal of helping people take control of their health and schedule their next check-up.
The numbers truly speak for themselves. Cigna's "#GoKnowControl and #CheckupsCount" campaign received unprecedented campaign engagement at 32.5%, compared to a 15-20% WhoSay campaign benchmark. In just two short months we created a viral conversation across three major social channels (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and obtained 3.8 million engagements (likes, comments, shares, retweets, etc). Cigna's share of social voice amongst their competitor set increased by 14 points, making them the 2nd most talked-about brand during that time in the social space, based on data pulled from Cigna's social listening tool. And last but not least, our influencer videos truly brought Cigna's message to life and received over 13.9 million views . . . and counting!