Client Overview
More than 45 years ago, UnitedHealthcare Colorado’s Rocky Mountain Health Plans (RMHP) established itself as a dominant provider of health insurance coverage in Colorado with extraordinary community relationships. In 2016, RMHP was acquired by United Healthcare. In 2022, Parallel Path celebrated its 10th year as RMHP’s marketing partner, helping to launch RMHP’s digital transformation in 2012 as its agency of record.
Challenge
Beginning in 2017, Parallel Path was tasked with leading the marketing strategy and execution while balancing the priority of navigating the transition into United Healthcare. Simultaneously amplifying the strategic priority to grow RMHP’s authentic community connections and trust.
While experiencing the industry-specific ebbs and flows of the health insurance market conditions, Parallel Path has consistently been a nimble partner providing strategic marketing leadership and execution during open enrollment periods and throughout the year. As the COVID-19 Pandemic reached its zenith, RMHP restructured its marketing team to be exclusively managed by Parallel Path with direct reporting to the CEO, the C-Suite, Product Leaders, and key United Healthcare Executives.
Determined to rise above the fray, Rocky Mountain Health Plans worked with Parallel Path to lead all MarComm strategies and execution across each of its core areas of focus: Brand Equity, Medicare, Dual Special Needs Plans, Commercial Group, and Individual and Family Insurance. Additionally, Parallel Path was tasked with developing the strategy and owning the successful execution of special projects such as state-wide bilingual COVID-19 Vaccination Hesitancy, RMHP’s Mission in Action program documenting community impact stories, and Medicaid redetermination.
As it with most local and regional health insurance companies, RMHP is challenged with how to effectively communicate that it is a community-rooted organization.
Insights
As RMHP transitioned under the umbrella of United Healthcare, its 45+ years of community equity were at risk as consumers had a reasonable amount of skepticism around the acquisition of their community-based health insurance provider. A plan would need to be tactfully developed to build and maintain RMHP’s brand equity while also sharing the benefits of United Healthcare’s national resources and expertise.
Each health insurance product line has its own unique challenges, priorities, and needs. While the RMHP Brand runs throughout each line of business and consumer touchpoint, Parallel Path would need to develop a specific marketing strategy for each insurance product adding a layer of complexity to the overall marketing objective.
Solution
Starting in 2017 Parallel Path delivered integrated digital-first marketing and communications strategies and solutions across the RMHP brand for each line of business with custom campaign development rooted in a strategic promise of being human-centric and data-driven. Annually, Parallel Path executes the RMHP marketing strategy across over 20+ media channels including Paid Search, Organic Search, Social Media, Display, ConnectedTV, Digital Audio, Print, Billboard, Cable TV, Broadcast TV, Terrestrial Radio, and Out of Home.
Prioritizing the entire consumer journey for each line of business, Parallel Path designed and developed the digital front door for increasing consumer engagement via custom micro-sites and landing pages in addition to strategic updates to core website pages.
Creative assets for open enrollment and always-on campaigns included cinematic short films, 30 and 15-second videos, print ads, out-of-home ads, display, social media ads, billboards, and audio ads.
In-flight optimizations are at the core of Parallel Path’s approach to maximizing marketing investment during open enrollment. With that approach in mind, Parallel Path implemented biweekly reporting and optimizations that were reviewed and discussed with RMHP key stakeholders.
To further improve execution excellence, Parallel Path established a unique position of marketing communications liaison working in parallel with the RMHP C-Suite to help establish, communicate and execute executive leadership priorities and initiatives.
Results
- RMHP has exceeded its budgeted membership enrollment goals every year since 2017. Most recently, +20.8% above the new membership goal (2021). RMHP awareness campaigns resulted in a 75% increase in brand inquires (2021).
- Open Enrollment inquiries to the RMHP website and landing pages are up 227% during open enrollment comparing 2016 vs 2021.
Client Quote
“RMHP has surpassed our 2021 revenue growth goals, we’ve brought on significant new membership across all product lines, forged great new relationships, and stayed largely in the first position as a brand! Thanks to Parallel Path for being a steadfast partner helping make all of this happen.”
– Patrick Gordon, RMHP / Colorado Plan CEO