Getting people to go to the doctor, even when they’re sick, is hard.
Getting them to go for an annual checkup when they’re feeling fine is infinitely harder.
But Cigna was committed to meeting the challenge.
Although preventive care—which helps to prevent diseases and reduce health costs—is now 100% covered by insurance, the CDC estimates that Americans only use it at about half the recommended rate. This was unthinkable given that the CDC also estimates 100,000 lives could be saved each year if every American received an annual checkup.
We knew lectures and scare tactics wouldn’t work to change behaviors. To succeed, we needed to approach the subject unexpectedly and lightheartedly. Cigna’s brand platform is grounded in the idea that staying well means having a partner—rather than just a health insurance company—that speaks to you from a place of deep understanding. To demonstrate this understanding, we tapped into Americans’ most popular excuse for not getting a check-up: lack of time.
Cigna got hardworking Americans across the country to get check-ups by activating 11 “job swaps,” in which TV personalities from different ABC programs—including Jimmy Kimmel Live, Good Morning America, ESPN Deportes, and local ABC news affiliates—filled in for regular people to make time for a check-up. By integrating these swaps as branded content into unexpected program environments, we connected with engaged, otherwise hard to capture audiences.
In just one month, thanks to the combination of flu shots, check up seasonality, and our new job swap program, an additional 396,999 Cigna customers had preventive check ups. And in markets where we activated job swaps locally, we saw an additional 129,229 visits. By reaching our audience in light-hearted and unexpected ways, Cigna inspired more people to go for their check-ups and take control of their health.