Activate Health

Please describe your company and your position there.

Banner|Aetna is a joint venture between Banner Health and Aetna that aims to provide high-quality, affordable health insurance to Arizonans. I am the strategic marketing director responsible for overseeing all branding, marketing, digital and social media activities.

In doing so, I work with in-house subject matter experts as well as vendors like Activate Health.

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

We engaged Activate Health to assist us with public relations and social media strategies and implementation. Our goals were to build greater brand awareness, generate and convert leads (especially in the employer market), and position Banner|Aetna executives as thought leaders in the healthcare space.

How did you select Activate Health and what were the deciding factors?

Activate Health was selected through a rigorous vetting process that involved a capabilities analysis of all interested agencies, a finalist presentation and the review of comprehensive plans and proposal for 2021 PR and social media recommendations.

Describe the project in detail and walk through the stages of the project.

Activate Health began with a detailed discovery process that involved interviews with our subject matter experts and a brand and marketing audit of all of our marketing resources, presentations and product materials. They then developed recommendations for PR, messaging and social strategies that would be implemented throughout the year.

Upon approval of these recommendations, they have maintained our B2B social media presence, secured numerous speaking opportunities for our executives, conducted media training, secured earned media in trade and local publications and continue 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.

How many resources from the Activate Health team worked with you, and what were their positions?

I work with Sarah McLeod, account director and her account team. These individuals interface with the agency’s creative and digital resources.

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

The agency has secured and/or assisted with the strategy for over 10 speaking opportunities, secured dozens media mentions and improved our social media presence by increasing overall followers by 44%, monthly engagements by 421% and monthly impressions by 379%.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Workflow is always seamless thanks to Sarah’s attention to detail. All deliverables are on time and processed on an effective strategy.

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

The team at Activate Health has done an incredible job finding opportunities to promote our organization with the right balance of thought leadership versus promotion. They have also achieved great engagement on LinkedIn and incredible visibility for us. We have never had national coverage before and their efforts have really started to help us gain traction in this area.

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

N/A

Please describe your company and your position there.

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

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.

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.

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.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I am the assistant director of marketing for a health sciences university responsible for the development of branding, outreach efforts and marketing campaigns.

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

We worked with Activate Health for branding, naming and messaging strategy support.

What were your goals for this project?

We engaged the agency to support branding, visual identity development and messaging strategy for a new joint venture clinic. This clinic was formed from a partnership between a world-renowned chiropractic physician who cared for athletes at two Olympic games and University of Western States, a highly-regarded academic institution based in Portland.

This included developing a new name for the clinic, a logo and visual cues, and a messaging framework as a standalone brand, while still leveraging the university’s brand equity.

How did you select Activate Health?

We were highly impressed with Activate Health’s comprehensive method for approaching branding work that was complemented by their extensive health care industry expertise.

Based on our initial meetings with their team, we saw their ability to support a variety of marketing efforts targeting many different audiences, including the local community where our new clinic is located, as well as consumers (patients), providers and more.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

At the outset of this project, Activate Health embarked on a detailed and comprehensive research and discovery process to inform “key findings” about our new clinic that would drive subsequent branding and messaging work.

The agency collaborated with our internal team members to narrow key brand attributes, preferences and historical university brand work that would inform the naming and visual identity of our new brand. They also performed extensive third-party research to identify important industry trends, competitive issues and market dynamics that needed to be accounted for in our brand-building work.

Finally, this discovery phase identified our most compelling brand characteristics, visual cues, brand archetype and key branding/naming considerations. Based on our approval of this research phase, Activate Health then developed several naming options for the new chiropractic and wellness center and created a logo and visual identity in alignment with the visual cues and attributes.

The agency also developed a comprehensive brand value framework that would inform all of our marketing messages and tell a consistent brand story. This framework included an elevator speech, boilerplate, brand narrative, pillars, proof points and marketing messages that would serve as a foundation for our marketing efforts going forward.

We had very minor edits on this messaging document as it was clear the team had identified the most accurate, compelling narrative for our new brand.

What was the team composition?

Our team worked with Activate Health’s leaders (including their CEO and creative director), our dedicated account manager, and we were also supported by their researchers, copywriters and designers.

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

Activate Health met our aggressive timelines to develop a brand identity and messaging strategy in line with the new clinic opening date in 2020.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

The agency is prompt, communicative and their project management skills ensured work was completed on time with regular updates and touchpoints along the way between our two teams.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

Activate Health’s broad industry knowledge ensured their research-focused approach to this branding project captured and considered each stakeholder, including university students, our community, referring providers as well as our key patient audience.

Are there any areas for improvement?

The team’s approach to a full-fledged branding effort was well-thought-out and timely, and we’re very pleased with the results.

Please describe your company and your position there.

I have served as the creative director and am now the manager of innovation and customer engagement at Optum Specialty.

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

We engage with Activate Health for ongoing marketing strategy, research and content marketing support in support of our specialty pharmacy division at Optum.

What were your goals for this project?

All of our key contacts at Activate Health have decades of healthcare experience. This knowledge, combined with their strong background in marketing strategy, have helped us reach our goal to communicate effectively with key prescribers and influencers in the specialty pharmacy space including payers, drug manufacturers, health systems and independent medical groups.

How did you select Activate Health?

We have worked with Activate Health over several years after conducting a review of their capabilities against other existing vendors. Initially, the company provided services to Avella Specialty Pharmacy prior to its acquisition by Optum, and has continued to provide support now that we are part of Optum Specialty Pharmacy.

Describe the scope of their work in detail.

Activate Health provides competitive research, positioning, strategy and brand messaging, especially within our specific therapeutic areas that have high growth potential. For example, the firm assisted our team in the area of multiple sclerosis-specific therapies, providing market insights and supporting sales messaging and positioning. This work continued across other therapeutic areas and also included research, consulting and strategy to drive greater awareness and utilization of our infusion model. They have also helped our team develop white papers, blogs, nurture emails and other content marketing campaigns targeted at our prescribers and key influencers.

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.

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

Activate Health has developed content marketing campaigns that continue to drive lead generation for our team. For example, the oncology trends white paper developed by their team continued to support our lead generation and sales efforts for several years, driving consistent interest and downloads from oncology practices.

The value proposition/messaging exercise developed in 2020 has been implemented across therapy managers and drives creative execution of messaging for tactics across the division.

How effective was the workflow between your team and theirs?

Activate Health has been willing to use our workflow tracking tool to provide ongoing project updates and in addition sends weekly status emails and conducts status updates for large projects. They consistently meet every deadline set, even when these timelines are very aggressive.

What did you find most impressive about this company?

We have been impressed by the depth of their knowledge in the healthcare space, especially given the complexity of our business model and the diverse stakeholders we serve.

Are there any areas for improvement?

We have been happy with the service levels, quality of projects and project speed to date.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I’m the vice president of marketing at a software solution provider for the health insurance market.

What challenge were you trying to address with Activate Health?

We were seeking writing and marketing resources. Since our business offering is fairly complex, we needed a company with intimate knowledge of the health plan market.

What was the scope of their involvement?

They generate the content for our decks, white papers, and outreach supplies that we present to clients and prospects. In addition, they process our market research into digestible content and implement the actual design of these white papers and decks, as well.

What is the team composition?

Our primary point of contact is Sarah (Director of Client Relations, Activate Health). We also work with Laura (Founder, Activate Health) who often does hands-on work in generating written content. Since she used to work for a health plan, her market expertise has been a great resource.

How did you come to work with Activate Health?

They used to work for one of our sister companies that got absorbed. They had a remaining contract with that company, which got transferred over to our account. We tested them out, and they turned out to be a very reliable partner.

How much have you invested with them?

We spent between $40,000–$50,000 with them this year, but it’s been a total of $90,000 over the course of our engagement.

What is the status of this engagement?

We began in December 2016, and we’ve got an ongoing relationship. We work with Activate Health on a project-by-project basis.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement? 

We’ve experienced great results from the assets they’ve provided—in particular, the white papers they created have generated new leads. Their marketing tool kits have received great feedback from clients about their helpfulness and readability.  

How did Activate Health perform from a project management standpoint?

Their project management has been excellent. We’ve never had to worry about them dropping the ball. All delays or deadline issues have been on our side; they’ve always been great at providing timelines and sticking to them. We communicate regularly through email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

The depth of their expertise surrounding the health care market has been phenomenal. Their ability to create market-facing content that’s interesting and easy to read is also impressive.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No. We’ve been really happy with them.

Do you have any advice for potential customers?

Be upfront about your expectations. If they’re doing a writing project for you, make sure you have a very clear outline.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a wellness company that has developed a smartphone application to record a person's sleep breathing to discern their level of risk for obstructive sleep apnea. I am the director of marketing.

What challenge were you trying to address with Activate Health?

As a startup company looking to enter the wellness marketspace, we needed assets that would help deliver our message and product to the space. We reached out to Activate Health to create those assets to display on our website and social media accounts.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Our biggest challenge is that we’re combating the mattress industry, which spends a tremendous amount of money each year telling people the key to a good night’s sleep is a comfortable mattress and being on the mattress for a specific amount of time. Our paradigm is that no matter the mattress or the time spent on it, if somebody has poor sleep breathing habits, a good night’s sleep is not likely. Our assets needed to convey the message that obstructive sleep apnea is treatable, and it is just as important to monitor as regular exercise or managing diabetes.

To help distribute our message, Activate Health produced a series of infographics for display on our website and social media accounts. Additionally, the same information included in those graphics has been implemented in 30- to 45-second animated movies.

What is the team composition?

I worked primarily with the owner.

How did you come to work with Activate Health?

I had worked with the owner’s husband at a previous job, and once she opened her own company, I had an opportunity with this startup to work with her. I was familiar with her background in healthcare and wellness, and I knew she would understand my goals and help build my brand.

How much have you invested with them?

We have been quoted at around $21,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our engagement began in July 2018. The bulk of the work was completed in August, but the animated videos were delivered in September.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We haven’t deployed the full campaign yet, but we are very happy with the concepts and test materials they have produced for us to this point.

How did Activate Health perform from a project management standpoint?

I could tell they were dedicated to the project. After our initial meeting about my objectives, they returned a week later with a statement of work and a project outline as to when deliverables would be ready. They met every one of their scheduling targets. Activate Health was in constant contact with me, letting me know the status of the project. They adapted well to my working schedule in a different time zone. Usually, if there was any delay, it was my doing because I didn’t provide feedback in a timely manner. Overall, their handling of the project was professional and on time.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their knowledge of health and wellness was their key competency. Their insight was valuable and the reason I would lean on them in the future.

Are there any areas they could improve?

No, everything ran very smoothly. I can’t recommend any areas for improvement.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

We are a young start-up that is trying to disrupt the medical device community. I am the vice president of marketing and public affairs.

What challenge were you trying to address with Activate Health?

We wanted to bring hospitals’ attention to reprocessing opportunities for single-use devices.

What was the scope of their involvement?

The medical device industry uses specific trade media to target healthcare providers. There is hardly any discourse in public media around our industry, though we’re trying to change that. We speak about the challenges hospitals face and how reprocessing medical devices can help. We’re working together to pose an alternative to large manufacturer dominance and laid out a media plan that has several pitch ideas for various trade journals. We connect to work on getting my articles published, which typically happens on a monthly basis.

What is the team composition?

I am the direct contact with Activate Help and work with Sarah McLeod.

How did you come to work with Activate Health?

I worked with them in a former position. I inherited them when I came into that post and did a search for potential replacements. None of the other agencies I considered could meet my conditions as well as Activate Health could. I am very involved in press activities and like to write a lot of my own content. They were willing to work with me and follow a structure I needed.

How much have you invested with them?

We’ve spent $45,000–$50,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

Our current engagement began in August or September 2017 and work is ongoing.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

We’ve had tremendous success placing stories in trade journals. Press appearances are the number one metric I’m interested in. They know how important press is to me and they deliver on that. They also are helping me target more public print media outside the healthcare industry.

How did Activate Health perform from a project management standpoint?

They do extremely well and work with my conditions. We’re a small shop and they know how much I value my time. We only meet when we need to and we’re in contact three or four times a week via phone or email.

What did you find most impressive about them?

They accommodate the unique way I want to work with the press and a PR agency. They support my efforts beyond the way a typical agency would and they find proactive ways to think outside the box.

Are there any areas they could improve?

At times, some of their writers could adjust their writing styles to accommodate my perspective.

Introduce your business and what you do there.

I'm the senior vice president of sales at Ternian Insurance Group, which provides customizable benefit solutions for employer groups.

What challenge were you trying to address with Activate Health?

We engaged Activate Health to help support our development of marketing materials, including enrollment brochures, e-blasts, flyers, and white papers.

What was the scope of their involvement?

Activate Health provides copywriting and graphic design assistance for producing marketing materials, including white papers, enrollment brochures, e-blasts to brokers who market our products, event materials, etc. They continue to ensure that materials are evaluated regularly to stay in compliance with legislative and insurance guidelines, including our policies. They work on both materials for the client company that sponsors our programs, as well as on materials for individual members.

What is the team composition?

I mainly work with Laura (National Health Promotion Director, Activate Health), but others on my team have worked with a couple other staff as well. Laura does a lot of the copywriting on our projects, relying on her extensive background in the healthcare industry. Because she's already so familiar with our industry, there was no learning curve; she was able to jump right in from the start.

How did you come to work with Activate Health?

I wasn't involved in the hiring process, but I believe members of our team knew of Laura since our previous company was purchased under a company she'd worked for in the past. 

How much have you invested with them?

Our monthly average retainer cost is about $2,500–$3,000.

What is the status of this engagement?

We've been working with them since 2014.

What evidence can you share that demonstrates the impact of the engagement?

Thanks to their efforts, open rates from email marketing campaigns have definitely improved. We're very happy with the quality of their work overall and the extensive knowledge they're able to bring to the table. Laura, in particular, has been an incredible asset to us.

How did Activate Health perform from a project management standpoint?

Laura is very responsive, detail-oriented, and timely. We've had an excellent relationship with them overall, with no issues whatsoever.

What did you find most impressive about them?

Their attention to detail and responsiveness sets them apart. The quality of their writing and design, as well as their ability to turn things around quickly has been wonderful. Laura acts as the glue that holds our marketing materials together.

Are there any areas they could improve?

I can't think of anything. They've been an excellent partner.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Please describe your company and your position there.

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

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.

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.

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.