Arkansas Blue Cross Blue Shield Grass Roots Campaign
Source:Bynum & Partners Case Studies
Key problems the public relations had to overcome In a purely competitive and politically motivated move, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arkansas, through its HMO and PPO subsidiaries, eliminated our clients, Little Rock Cardiology Clinic and Arkansas Heart Hospital, from its provider panels. More than 440,000 Arkansans were affected. Our clients stood to lose hundreds of patients—many with longstanding relationships with LRCC’s physicians.
Creative strategy Instead of becoming bogged down in complicated insurance jargon, we created a "patient choice" concept as the basis for our public relations campaign. In all written materials, we urged our clients’ patients to fight for their rights to choose their own physicians and the hospital where they could receive the highest-quality health care.
Executional elements In Phase I of the campaign, we mailed letters to 12,365 patients who had visited cardiologists at Little Rock Cardiology Clinic during 1997. In the letter, signed by each of the practice’s physicians, we explained what Blue Cross had done and how these actions affected the patients. With the letter, we enclosed seven pre-stamped postcards that were pre-addressed to key Arkansas government and Blue Cross executives. We asked the patients to sign and mail the postcards immediately upon receipt.
Market results Patient response was unprecedented. More than 8,000 patients who received the mailing mailed postcards to all seven of the recipients. In addition to the 75 percent response rate, the postcard campaign resulted in Little Rock Cardiology physicians and Arkansas Heart Hospital administrators being invited to speak at a joint House-Senate hearing of the Arkansas Insurance Commission. Although we’ve won the first battle against Blue Cross, the war is far from won. We are currently in the second phase of the campaign, and expect to continue for at least a year. We don’t expect Blue Cross to capitulate without a fight.
Key strategic insight Not every problem has a traditional "advertising" solution. In this case, a grassroots public relations effort with a groundswell of public and media support has proved a much more successful strategy.
