CONTEXT
BlueCross BlueShield of Massachusetts—the "800-pound gorilla" of traditional health insurance—was regarded as arrogant by physicians, overly pricey by employers, and the plan of choice by employees.
STRATEGY
The launch of its first statewide managed care plan gave BCBS an opportunity to make itself over with a warmer, more human face and impart a positive spin on the gatekeeper concept of HMO Blue.
EXECUTION
First step: recruit physicians to fill the coverage gap in central Massachusetts and ultimately be able to market HMO Blue as a statewide health plan. Physicians received an illustrated "world-upside-down" gift box containing an unexpectedly humble cardboard-covered book of straight talk about the new plan, with answers to all the predictable questions, one human being to another.