Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts

Improving Brand Perception

In 1999, the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts (BCBSMA) brand was at its nadir. Perceived as a "middle aged man in a gray suit," BCBSMA was thought of as a place where claims went to die. What the market did not know was that BCBSMA had transformed its systems and cultures into a member-focused organization. The campaign that launched in the Fall of 1999— and continues to this day—has produced favorable brand measures that have long overtaken competitors Harvard Pilgrim and Tufts Associated Health Plan. We’ve worked across all of Blue Cross’s business areas including small group, mid-large group, consumer, Medicare, direct pay, physician relations, and corporate communications—and in all media, including broadcast, outdoor, web development, online, and print marketing.

Over the course of the campaign, we have surgically targeted perception dimensions like value, trust, leadership and likelihood to consider—and we have consistently had an impact on those measures. Most importantly, membership has grown from 1.4 million in 1999 to 2.8 million today, a curve that is congruent with the rise in brand perception improvements.

When universal health coverage became law in Massachusetts, requiring that everyone have insurance, we developed a fully integrated, multi-channel campaign—"Get Blue"—to market the brand’s new, more affordable plans to those not eligible for the public option. Calls and website visits in response to the campaign numbered in the tens of thousands. In the final month of the campaign, Blue Cross signed up some 15,000 new members.

What’s more, with national health reform imminent, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has taken a strong leadership position as having defined best business and healthcare practices in the new reform world.