The greatest impact of Network Health’s co-creation strategy was not financial, community growth, industry awards, but emotion. Yet, AE Marketing Group saw an opportunity far bigger than revenue. Co-creation lifted the curtain on how health insurance works and showed that consumers and employees had a lot more in common than first realized.
So just like Network Health tapped into their community to help improve customer experience, they could tap into the stories of their own employees to better showcase what’s so exceptional about their company.
What they found was something special.
“When AE presented this concept to us, it was a ‘you had me at hello moment’ for me,” said Network Health Chief Administrative Officer Penny Ransom. “Not only is it something new for our industry, but it also suits our brand perfectly.”
“We only went in with one concept,” said AE Marketing Group CEO Brian Walker.
Walker’s plan? Make the employees the focus of the brand.
“I was confident this was the right idea. Everyone talks about humanizing a brand, everyone talks about employee advocacy, but they forget you cannot force it. Employees, like consumers, don’t want to be told how to behave.”
After just a couple weeks of open casting calls, patterns started to emerge among Network Health employees. One major theme was their backgrounds informed why they went to work every day.
“We were already building a brand around simplicity,” said Marketing Director Melanie Draheim. “So it was great that we could bring in the emotional part of our work. These are real people who are part of communities all over Wisconsin, and they love what they do.”
“I was struck by the raw emotions and vulnerability demonstrated by their employees,” said Walker. “I was adamant that nothing be scripted. We didn’t try to back into select demographics or customer personas like everyone else does. We just asked questions and listened.”
And they didn’t script a thing.
They just asked questions: not about work, but about life. When telling the personal stories of Network Health employees, viewers will notice there’s no phone number. There’s no call to action. No kitschy slogan. It’s just the story.
“And that’s all you need,” Walker says.
“We are using these personal stories as a way to say ‘this is the type of company I want to do business with,’” he said. “We let that speak for itself.”
AE Marketing Group shot both long & short form branded video of the people and process that make Network Health a different kind of health insurance company with a style that was personal, documentary, educational and genuine.
Yet, they pushed the boundaries of new social and digital video capabilities and platforms. Using red, drone, mobile (iPhone) and GoPro cameras, plus photo journalism to boost emotion and authenticity.
AE Marketing Group shot documentary film and photography over nineteen days with Network Health employees throughout Wisconsin, including Milwaukee, Fond Du Lac, Oshkosh, and Appleton.
Learn more about the campaign here.