Health Alliance Plan HMO to launch new ad campaign [Detroit Free Press]

Feb. 26--Michigan's Health Alliance Plan will take advantage of the red carpet tonight to unveil a new advertising initiative beginning with the Oscar awards show.

The Detroit-based insurer has purchased six advertising spots before, during and after the show to convey its new message that HAP is here to help consumers understand changes coming with federal health care reforms, said Senior Vice President Mary Ann Tournoux, chief marketing officer.

The company selected the Oscar show because some 400,000 Michiganders watch it, particularly women, Tournoux said. "We refer to it as the Super Bowl for women," Tournoux said.

The branding and advertising initiative also includes TV, print, Web and billboard advertising, beginning Monday. The ads will run through about Nov. 1, said Donna Reid, vice president for marketing and communications strategy at HAP.

The campaign was designed by the TMV Group and D.P. Bostwick & Associates, both of Birmingham. Bostwick is a former Chrysler director for consumer market research.

Reid said she could not disclose the cost of the ads, only saying the amount was consistent with ad budgets at HAP for the last few years.

The ads were written after the companies held focus groups with 300 people last year, in groups of 30 each. A few major themes emerged: Consumers are scared by changes in health insurance that lie ahead and they see the industry as a major obstacle to them getting good care, Tournoux said.

"That was a very eye-opening experience," she said. "This is a very emotional, sensitive and highly intense problem for them. It's not so much about the product itself. People are looking for a safe harbor."

HAP's initiative features pictures of newborn babies, happy mature couples and smiling elderly people, with the final words: "Welcome to peace. Welcome to HAP."

Peace and health, Tournoux said, "were the two words that most clearly resonated in our research."

Contact Patricia Anstett: 313-222-5021 or panstett@freepress.com

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