Activate Health

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Director of Development of Arizona Autism United.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

Arizona Autism United (AZA United) is a nonprofit organization with a mission to help as many families as possible with individualized supports by providing therapies, services and events to those living with autism and other developmental disabilities and their families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Activate Health to accomplish?

• Provide event and organization-related marketing and communications consulting
• Develop and implement new strategies for an annual event
• Craft communications and public relations campaigns

SOLUTION

How did you find Activate Health?

Referral

Why did you select Activate Health over others?

• High ratings
• Close to my geographic location
• Great culture fit
• Company values aligned
• Healthcare Expertise & understanding of our specific needs

How many teammates from Activate Health were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

AZA United required support for ongoing, organization-wide communications and marketing activities, as well as specific fundraising and public relations services to amplify our annual event. Activate Health provided effective and comprehensive communications planning, including developing a PR roadmap and press release to promote the event, managing media list building and journalist outreach, gathering testimonials and activating a social media strategy. The services and deliverables that Activate Health provided were impecable and very high quality!

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The team’s strategic planning resulted in securing in-kind donations toward the annual event—as well as raising $2,075 in raffle tickets—that was attended by nearly 500 people. As an output of their media pitching, the event garnered coverage in notable community outlets like AZ Central, Phoenix with Kids, AZ Family, Fountain Hills Times, and Be Like Buddy. Also, the press release reach resulted in 132 media pickups and was presented to an audience of nearly 14 million. The Activate Health team are an absolute pleasure to work with!

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team's promptness, responsiveness, follow through and overall timeliness are truly fantastic. The agency team keeps projects moving along efficiently and without prompting given their familiarity with best practice PR and communications planning.

What was your primary form of communication with Activate Health?

• In-Person Meeting
• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The team’s extensive knowledge of PR and communications planning best practices means they can seamlessly support organizations like ours at scale. While they have big-name healthcare clients, they remain well versed in local and geographical specific media strategies and offer a tailored, consultative and custom approach. The Activate Health team's professional and compassionate approach absolutely aligned with our mission, vision and values - Best collaboration ever!

Are there any areas for improvement or something Activate Health could have done differently?

No, not at this time. They have proven excellent partners.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Senior Manager of B2B Marketing of a healthcare company.

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We are a payer serving employers, public and labor entities, and individuals and families.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Activate Health to accomplish?

• B2B content marketing strategy
• Employer-geared white paper development
• Lead-gen email development

SOLUTION

How did you find Activate Health?

Referral

Why did you select Activate Health over others?

• High ratings
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Activate Health were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We engaged with Activate Health to help us differentiate our story about how we deliver value and cost for employers and brokers through a multichannel lead generation campaign. After sharing our brief, they jumped into deep-dive interviews with us and our SMEs, created content plans and worked collaboratively with a broad range of stakeholders to craft a complex and data-driven white paper. Following its completion, they also developed a strategic lead-gen email. They provided end-to-end, consultative support from messaging formation to copywriting and design. 

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We secured leadership buy-in across the organization and used the white paper for a national human resources webinar series, launching the story and associated email by our deadline. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The team was consistently on top of timing, deadlines and changing priorities, and were incredibly flexible when we had additional reviewers throughout the process. They expedited each round with our end go-live goal in mind and helped move the project to completion in a timely fashion. 

What was your primary form of communication with Activate Health?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

After working in healthcare myself for many years, it’s impressive that the Activate Health team has such a thorough grasp on complex concepts like industry cost trends. This industry know-how means they are able to simplify complicated ideas for a broad range of audiences, which was done so effectively because they are a healthcare-focused agency.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Activate Health could have done differently?

Our team worked extremely well with them. While there were project delays that inevitably occur from adding in new stakeholders and information, Activate Health adapted quickly and seamlessly to ensure we reached project milestones.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the CEO of Optimuse

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide branding, creative, and digital marketing services for companies spanning various industries.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Activate Health to accomplish?

• Develop a creative platform for a health insurer
• Align the platform with proposed visual identity work
• Socialize the project output with non-marketing client stakeholder groups (e.g. sales)

SOLUTION

How did you find Activate Health?

Referral

Why did you select Activate Health over others?

• High ratings
• Pricing fit our budget
• Referred to me

How many teammates from Activate Health were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

We worked collaboratively with Activate Health to execute on a strategic creative platform for a national health insurer designed to better communicate their brand’s value proposition to their key audiences in the B2B space (employers and producers). The project involved creative, conceptual brainstorming, refining platform ideas, copywriting and visual design direction to closely align with the long-established brand presentation, voice and identity. Activate Health oversaw project management, developed detailed creative briefs, provided overall creative direction, and managed the initiative with the client.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Following the delivery of round one creative platform concepts, our team and Activate Health narrowed initial ideas down to five. The firm was integral in ongoing refinement of selected concepts for client presentation, ultimately resulting in two client-approved concepts, demonstrating how they go above and beyond to deliver. This process was successful because of the agency’s deep understanding of the health insurer’s key priorities and goals, as well as their detailed industry expertise. The project plan was closely adhered to, keeping the effort on time and on budget and ensuring client expectations were exceeded.

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

The Activate Health team holds timeliness and accuracy as a core priority. Each stage of this complex initiative moved along faster than anticipated because of their ability to proactively manage timelines, turnarounds, and rounds of review and approval. It’s clear that they respect and prioritize the valuable time of their clients, designers, writers and other stakeholders like SMEs.

What was your primary form of communication with Activate Health?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

We truly appreciate their attention to detail. Each person at this agency holds themselves and their work output to the highest standard and starts on a foundation of organization that promotes seamless project progress and success. Their healthcare acumen is also second-to-none, and their experience tackling highly complex projects like branding and creative platforms is evident in their approach.

Are there any areas for improvement or something Activate Health could have done differently?

Not at this time. The agency is made up of highly dedicated and knowledgeable people. While they are a boutique firm, they’ve maintained their size intentionally so that each client and project receives consultative support from the “A-team.”

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and position.

I am the Owner / Founder of Lean Digital Systems (dba Leanwebz)

Describe what your company does in a single sentence.

We provide digital marketing and web development services to a wide variety of companies, including those in the healthcare industry. 

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

What specific goals or objectives did you hire Activate Health to accomplish?

• Website copy development
• Presentation and event support
• Branding and messaging

SOLUTION

How did you find Activate Health?

Referral

Why did you select Activate Health over others?

• High ratings
• Great culture fit
• Good value for cost
• Healthcare industry expertise

How many teammates from Activate Health were assigned to this project?

2-5 Employees

Describe the scope of work in detail. Please include a summary of key deliverables.

Over many years of working with Activate Health, they have delivered on a number of projects ranging from web content strategy and branding initiatives. This includes product-level branding and event support around the launch of new products, as well as content marketing initiatives like testimonial development from which downstream assets (e.g. blogs, social media campaigns, and sales support materials) were developed.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

What were the measurable outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The Activate Health team is highly consultative and relationship driven. They are able to serve as an extension of every client’s internal team, from the C-suite to marketing departments. As a result of their approach, all our diverse work feels seamless and drives additional business opportunities to which they adapt and pivot to support based on changing priorities. The way they take care of clients results in long-term relationships lasting multiple years. 

Describe their project management. Did they deliver items on time? How did they respond to your needs?

One of the agency’s most valuable assets is their ability to keep projects moving along in a highly efficient and proactive manner. Their communication is prompt, clear, actionable and informed. They are proven to meet or beat key deadlines and maintain a sense of urgency to push a campaign to the finish line. 

What was your primary form of communication with Activate Health?

• Virtual Meeting
• Email or Messaging App

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

The firm is steeped in all things healthcare. Over our years working together they have touched every corner of the industry, from health systems to Medicare Advantage plans and truly “speak the language.” 

Are there any areas for improvement or something Activate Health could have done differently?

They are a great partner who continues to deliver year after year.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

TeleVox is the leading digital patient engagement platform for healthcare organizations. I am a Product Marketing Manager and my role involves strategizing and overseeing launches, as well as messaging and positioning of our core platform.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Activate Health?

We originally retained Activate Health to support our content marketing needs including the development of top- and middle-of-funnel lead generation materials like eBooks, blog posts, and website content. They also assisted us with sales support materials. Following a successful year of this content marketing engagement, we resourced Activate Health to support brand- and awareness-building public relations efforts

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor?

Activate Health was selected based on their healthcare industry expertise and through an internal vetting process that evaluated capabilities of various interested marketing and PR agencies. We also reviewed a comprehensive, well-thought-out proposal and plan for the initial content marketing support they provided.

After a year-and-a-half of working with Activate as our content agency, we were confident in their abilities and requested a proposal and plan for PR. At that point, it was established that the firm was a trusted and valuable partner for our business.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Our key business goals include building greater brand awareness and positioning our product as the market-leading patient engagement solution. We also needed to establish thought leadership authority across healthcare and health IT trade media sufficient to raise our executives as subject matter experts, building more brand credibility.

Activate Health began all content marketing projects with a detailed discovery process that involved interviews with internal subject matter experts and an audit of existing resources, presentations, and product materials. They developed detailed creative briefs to secure buy-in from all stakeholders, prior to drafting various content deliverables such as web copy, eBooks, blogs, and other lead-gen materials.

They manage all revisions and approvals seamlessly. For our PR efforts, Activate Health had a great understanding of our business goals, strengths and opportunities and developed an aggressive implementation plan to establish our media presence. Since the start of our PR engagement, the team has maintained our B2B social media presence, secured numerous speaking opportunities for our executives, and conducted media training.

They secured earned media in top-tier trade publications such as Fierce Healthcare and MedCity News, and continues to develop new pitches, articles and speaking submissions to ensure our brand is top of mind for buyers and influencers. They also provide strategic guidance to ensure that these PR and social media activities align with other marketing and digital strategies being conducted in-house.

What was the team composition?

I work directly with Sarah, CEO at Activate Health, Katie, our account manager, Jess, content strategist and Breann, account coordinator. Our two primary contacts are Katie and Sarah. Katie manages all projects from concept to completion, including communication with the writing, creative and web/digital team. Sarah provides consultative support and oversees PR, liaising with TeleVox and the firm’s account and creative teams.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our top- and middle-funnel content has seen marked improvement in quality and SEO performance since we began working with Activate Health. Alignment across various campaigns—from blogs to bylines, social media, and gated landing pages—is evident and strategic, driving more downloads of gated content for lead-gen purposes. They have brought an informed and authoritative voice to our content across marketing and PR activities that ties clearly to industry trends, catching the attention of our key buyers, industry influencers, and our existing customers.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Our dedicated team at Activate Health is made up of skilled project managers, who keep even our most complex projects on time, on target, and on budget. They are very comprehensive in their approach to project planning and strategy, so we know what to expect from the get-go. However, when we need to pivot or change direction, they are quick to offer solutions and flex with our business needs or stakeholder input.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their industry expertise, specifically in the health IT space, is unmatched. They know what’s on the minds of our buyers and how to appeal to these individuals’ pain points, goals, and expectations. They are also extremely accurate, and we have been consistently impressed with the quality of their copywriting, which saves our team time and resources reviewing projects, especially those that are content-heavy like eBooks

Is there any area for improvement or anything that could have been done differently?

Not at this time. Activate Health has been a great partner and their work has garnered successful results across the content and PR initiatives they support.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Optum Specialty Pharmacy is a leading specialty pharmacy provider serving patients, providers and pharmaceutical manufacturers. As Marketing Manager, I strategize and oversee content marketing projects, including messaging and positioning our services and offerings.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Activate Health, and what were your goals?

They assist my team with a variety of content marketing needs including blogs, social media content, white papers, and other marketing collateral designed for patients and providers.

SOLUTION

How did you select this vendor and what were the deciding factors?

Activate Health has supported Optum Specialty Pharmacy for over 10 years. The firm was chosen because of their extensive experience supporting healthcare industry companies in various marketing and advertising initiatives. Our team at Optum has seen the agency’s abilities proven time and again. Activate Health has supported Optum in various capacities since 2018, prior to which it provided services to Avella Specialty Pharmacy for many years before its acquisition by Optum.

Describe the scope of work in detail, including the project steps, key deliverables, and marking tools used.

The agency supported a wide variety of deliverables that educated providers and patients on condition-specific topics like coping strategies, side effects, treatment landscapes and more. Other campaign efforts included community engagement social media campaigns to support and celebrate those patients during a national awareness month. The process was seamless. We started with an initial call to kick off the project that was followed by Activate Health facilitating internal research, prior to developing targeted questions and coordinating interviews with subject matter experts.

Following, my team reviewed the agency’s findings and had the opportunity to sign off on key messages, prior to the development of pieces like a white paper, one-sheet, patient blog, social media content and creative. In adherence to our brand guidelines, the team ensured that audience-appropriate reading levels were maintained and checked with our preferred tool for health literacy. Activate Health facilitated our feedback and edits quickly to both content and designed assets after they delivered their initial drafts.

Activate also supported the development of additional deliverables that built upon an internally developed campaign for provider education around specialty pharmacy services. They brainstormed creative ideas for infographics, one-sheets and blog posts that complemented the resources our team designed internally and provided strategy, content development, and graphic design direction.

How many resources from the vendor's team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I work directly with our account manager, Katie, and Sarah CEO. Katie oversees and communicates with me about all projects and Sarah leads the agency’s account team. We are also supported by Activate’s account coordinators, content experts and creative strategists.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any measurable outcomes of the project or general feedback about the deliverables?

Our campaigns see more mileage thanks to Activate Health being able to creatively conceptualize so many different ideas, and “slice and dice” longer-form content into many unique deliverables such as quick reference guides, designed infographics, easy-to-read blog posts, and more. This extends the lifetime of our campaigns, offering our target audiences additional resources to aid in their education. It also gives our team a wide variety of assets to leverage throughout the marketing funnel.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Thanks to the project management skills of the firm, our teams work in lockstep throughout every project. We can always count on Activate for proactive updates, on-time delivery, and consultative support from project kick-off to finalization. Because they’re so high touch in the way they work with our team, whenever we need to adjust an approach, add a new audience or rethink an asset, they adapt on a dime to our needs.

What did you find most impressive or unique about this company?

Between their broad healthcare industry knowledge, their specific specialty pharmacy know-how, and their overall approach to working with our team as involved, consultative and strategic marketing partners. Activate Health was a one-stop shop for all our needs.

Are there any areas for improvement or something they could have done differently?

Our team is pleased with all of the great work done by Activate Health.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the Director, Content Marketing and Brand Communications, at a healthcare technology and engagement company headquartered in Dallas, Texas. My responsibilities include thought leadership promotions, internal and external communications, and public relations.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Activate Health?

We work with Activate Health on a variety of PR, thought leadership, and product launch communications via an ongoing retainer.

What were your goals for this project?

Goals vary by project, but include driving awareness of new partnership and products; aligning messaging with the corporate value proposition; concepting creative campaigns for events; and promoting thought leadership via content marketing efforts.

SOLUTION

How did you select Activate Health?

One of our team members had worked with Activate Health through a previous marketing role at a Blue Cross health plan. Based on this recommendation, we interviewed the team at Activate Health, and selected them based on their knowledge of the healthcare industry, their willingness to be nimble and flexible, and their responsiveness throughout the interview process.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Activate Health provides strategy, copywriting, research, copyediting, project management, press release distribution, vendor management and negotiation, brand messaging, graphic design and event management services to our team.

What was the team composition?

We work primarily with the account team who interfaces with Activate Health's creative and strategy team members.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

We work with Activate Health to track media mentions, media sentiment, and press release distribution results, which vary by project.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Activate Health has always kept us apprised of project priorities and status via biweekly status meetings and a weekly status email. They have always been responsive and available for strategy discussions and brainstorming in between our regular meetings when needed. They have met deadlines for every project we have sent their way, even when timelines were aggressive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

I've been impressed by their knowledge of our markets—including at-risk organizations like health insurers and risk-bearing health systems—and how they've brought that knowledge and insight to the variety of projects we've engaged them on.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been very satisfied with the creative output and project management.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

Assistant Director, Health Plan Planning and Execution for Cambia Health Solutions

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Activate Health?

We engaged Activate Health to assist us with the development of our Strategic Plan Report.

What were your goals for this project?

This document needed to communicate strategic vision and goals to employees in a way that is both effective and compelling. This is a critical internal document that serves as a benchmark to ensure that our workforce is informed about our business direction and our future-state objectives.

SOLUTION

How did you select Activate Health?

This agency came via a recommendation from a stakeholder marketing employee at the company.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Activate Health assisted us with the development of this report, designing compelling visuals, sourcing photography and editing content to ensure the story was told in an appropriate and impactful way, while aligning all design efforts with our brand.

What was the team composition?

I worked closely with Activate Health's account manager who coordinated all internal efforts with their creative team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

Our timeframe was especially tight for this project but Activate Health met all of their internal deadlines. The report itself received leadership approval and was disseminated to employees when these efforts kicked off.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The workflow was seamless and our account manager kept us in the loop on next steps and project milestones.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Their team’s ability to manage projects effectively and meet tight deadlines while maintaining high-quality work was impressive.

Are there any areas for improvement?

There were no specific areas of improvement that emerged based on my experience managing this project.

BACKGROUND

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am head of client engagement for a third-party insurance administrator.

OPPORTUNITY / CHALLENGE

For what projects/services did your company hire Activate Health?

We engaged with Activate Health for branding, public relations and ongoing marketing strategy and content marketing support.

What were your goals for this project?

Initially, Activate Health was brought on to support an extensive rebranding and acquisition communications plan following our purchase by a venture capital firm. This included a standalone naming, branding and brand messaging platform.

They provided logo design, digital marketing, sales materials and PR, including press releases and authored articles. Since then, the agency continues to support our ongoing content marketing, sales support, internal communications and PR needs.

SOLUTION

How did you select Activate Health?

We recognized their comprehensive ability to deliver on a wide range of initiatives to meet our ever-changing needs, spanning copywriting, media relations, acquisition and rebranding communications and strategy, and sales support. They have supported these varied projects for many years.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

When we began working with Activate Health on the rebranding and acquisition efforts, they established our branding and visual asset development, brand messaging platform and media presence in targeted industry publications.

Subsequent support for our c-suite and clinical teams included tradeshow support, the development of a sales kit, event coordination and lead generation and nurture tactics such as email blasts. They are a true consultative partner for our organization’s needs.

What was the team composition?

We are supported by their leadership team (CEO, Creative Director), an account manager, as well as Activate Health’s research, writing and design team.

RESULTS & FEEDBACK

Can you share any outcomes from the project that demonstrate progress or success?

The initial engagement with Activate Health for strategic support through a soup-to-nuts rebranding initiative was implemented in less than 60 days.

This evolved into Activate Health supporting wide-reaching marketing and communications efforts that led to our organization winning multi-million dollar RFPs and expanding our client roster.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

They are consistently in lockstep with our team’s tight deadlines and dynamic workflow.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

The team’s nimble, flexible approach over the years has made them a trusted partner. Most impressive is Activate Health’s copywriting, especially considering our business model is highly complex and we serve a diverse mix of stakeholders.

Are there any areas for improvement?

From the team’s responsiveness, creativity and ability to keep projects on track, we’re very happy with the firm.