Hospitals

Highmark’s clever marketing play: Escape the polar vortex — and then get health insurance

Pittsburgh insurer Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is taking advantage of the brutal cold weather in the Midwest with a new appeal to catch consumers’ attention – and help them out, too. Earlier this month, Highmark turned the bus shelters at four Pittsburgh bus stops into “warming stations” with overhead heat lamps. Of course, the […]

Pittsburgh insurer Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield is taking advantage of the brutal cold weather in the Midwest with a new appeal to catch consumers’ attention – and help them out, too.

Earlier this month, Highmark turned the bus shelters at four Pittsburgh bus stops into “warming stations” with overhead heat lamps. Of course, the stops are also marked with signage for Highmark BCBS’s Community Blue health plan, a lower-price plan offered by the insurer.

As health insurers evolve into companies whose customers are increasingly individual consumers with several choices, plans have put more focus on attracting new customers and engaging existing ones.

Part of that effort is bringing in tech tools and services that empower members to take better care of themselves or give them better ways to interact with their insurance carrier. Another part is targeted marketing and advertising.

Highmark’s novel approach seems more likely to capture people’s attention and generate buzz than traditional TV insurance ads — and the right people, at that. Not to mention, it’s a good deed.

“It may be a small gesture, but it shows that we care,” said Steven Nelson, a a senior vice president at Highmark, in a statement. “And the response from the community has been very positive.”

[Image courtesy of Doug Braunsdorf, Highmark]