NEW BRAND LAUNCH (Just in time for open Enrollment)

I joined Clover just as the Red Antler agency had finalized the branding guidelines. The colorful branding was intended to stand out in the healthcare space, but they didn’t take into account many of the complexities of being a Medicare Advantage plan. Each year there is only a very short enrollment window for Medicare plans, and we were rolling out this new “disruptive” brand; we needed to raise awareness of Clover clearly and quickly.

I immediately identified that initial brand awareness should focus on what Clover was offering, which is not something that the agency’s simplified brand guideline had specified. I developed direct headlines and successfully made the point that the text-only treatments the agency dictated were inadequate at identifying the audience for this new brand. Soon I was in New Jersey, art directing a photo shoot with members and taking the opportunity to have conversations with them to understand the member mindset better.

To add to the challenge, most of the startup’s San Francisco/tech side was new to working in healthcare and unfamiliar with the highly-regulated field of Medicare plans and its particular 65+ audience. In my first month, I read, highlit and came to understand all of the procedures and guidelines laid out by the Center for Medicare Services. I also gained as much understanding of the process of enrollment I could from interviewing beneficiaries, and the customer service leads on the New Jersey/plan side of the startup. I helped develop the voice and tone guidelines, convinced the team we needed to hire a copywriter immediately, and then passed on as much knowledge as I could to her in record time.

billboard Photoshoot and editing

At Clover, we wanted as much as possible to eschew stock photos and clichés and to amplify our real members. I helped organize, and art directed this first just-in-time photoshoot with beneficiaries and used the opportunity to speak with them about their lives and validate potential headlines and colors. I clipped and retouched the resulting selects for use on the website, sell-in and provider collateral, member collateral, as well as a significant out-of-home campaign in the plan’s limited coverage area.

Out of home advertising

The Annual Enrollment period for Medicare plans is very short, from October to December. Clover had the challenge of being a newcomer and getting from awareness to conversion for something as critically important as one’s healthcare. I designed a blitz of out-of-home, print brochure, direct mail, and social media tactics in close collaboration with the copywriter.

Enrollees often mentioned the out-of-home campaign as something they had seen and remembered. And the sales brochures helped the field agents tremendously answer questions about the plans and establish brand legitimacy when they spoke with potential enrollees or their families.

.…And More

After Open Enrollment was over, I spent time refining the brand system’s typography and color palette for consistency and legibility.

I also proposed using beneficiary and provider testimonials, explored how we might use data visualization, and expanded workplace wellness and culture. Please drop me a note if you’re interested in talking through any of these projects.