Covered California Appoints Integrated IPG PR Team (Weber Shandwick, Golin and The Axis Agency) as PR Agencies of Record

SACRAMENTO, Calif., Oct. 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Covered California, the state of California's health insurance marketplace, has named an integrated Interpublic Group (IPG) PR agency team of Weber Shandwick, Golin and The Axis Agency, as its public relations agencies of record. The IPG agency team will also work with IW Group and LAGRANT COMMUNICATIONS to lead external communications strategy.

Together, the agencies will take responsibility for Covered California's external visibility, with a focus on raising awareness of health care coverage options for California residents, promoting enrollment and coverage retention and highlighting Covered California's exchange model.

"Covered California's mission is to increase the number of insured Californians, improve health care quality, lower costs and reduce disparities – and we're proud of the good work we've done to reduce the rate of the uninsured to record lows," said Peter V. Lee, executive director of Covered California. "In the upcoming year, we have important information to convey to Californians about changes in state law that make health care more affordable in 2020. We look forward to working with our new experienced, multi-disciplinary team at IPG to build on a strong communications foundation and make sure we convey important information to the public in the years ahead."

The partnership comes at a historic time for health care in California, with two new affordability initiatives – the restoration of the individual mandate along with new state subsidies – that will lead to hundreds of thousands gaining health care coverage with lower premiums and more financial help. 

"We have long-standing admiration for Covered California, which has not only been a leader in bringing the promise of the Affordable Care Act to consumers across the state, but also serves as a national model for how a competitive market can work for both consumers and health plans," said Pam Jenkins, president of global public affairs, Weber Shandwick.  "We are fortunate to be working alongside Covered California's best-in-class in-house communications and marketing teams, along with colleagues from two of our sister agencies and trusted partners to mount strategic, creative and impactful campaigns that will help bring quality care and coverage within reach for so many people," Jenkins added. 

Working in partnership with Golin and the Axis Agency, Weber Shandwick will spearhead the account, which will be headquartered in Los Angeles with support from teams in Sacramento, San Francisco and Washington, D.C. 

About Covered California
Covered California is the state's health insurance marketplace, where Californians can find affordable, high-quality insurance from top insurance companies. Covered California is the only place where individuals who qualify can get financial assistance on a sliding scale to reduce premium costs. Consumers can then compare health insurance plans and choose the plan that works best for their health needs and budge.  Depending on their income, some consumers may qualify for the low-cost or no-cost Medi-Cal program. 

Covered California is an independent part of the state government whose job is to make the health insurance marketplace work for California's consumers. It is overseen by a five-member board appointed by the governor and the Legislature. For more information about Covered California, please visit www.CoveredCA.com (http://www.CoveredCA.com)

About Weber Shandwick
Weber Shandwick is a leading global communications network that delivers next-generation solutions to brands, businesses and organizations in major markets around the world. Led by world-class strategic and creative thinkers and activators, we have won some of the most prestigious awards in the industry. Weber Shandwick was named to Ad Age's Best Places to Work in 2019 and was the only PR firm designated an Ad Age A-List Agency Standout in 2017 and 2018. Weber Shandwick was also honored as PRWeek's Global Agency of the Year in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018, and earned 25 Lions at the 2019 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. Data-led, with earned ideas at the core, the agency deploys leading and emerging technologies to inform strategy, develop critical insights and heighten impact across sectors and specialty areas, including brand and B2B marketing, healthcare marketing, change management, employee engagement, corporate reputation, crisis management, data and analytics, technology, public affairs, social impact and financial communications. Weber Shandwick is part of the Interpublic Group (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit http://www.webershandwick.com

About Golin
Golin is a progressive public relations agency that aligns earned-first, data-driven creative with the customer journey, to deliver maximum impact for clients and reach a profoundly diverse global market. Today, with more than 1700 employees and 60+ years of experience, Golin is proudly reclaiming the public relations industry and redefining it for the future. Earning attention has never been more important, and Golin is an industry leader helping clients get the results they need. It was named PRWeek's 2019 Global Agency of the Year; PRmoment's 2018 Agency of the Year; and in 2017, PRCA's Large Consultancy of the Year and The Drum's PR Consultancy of the Year.

About The Axis Agency
The Axis Agency is a full-service marketing and communications agency specializing in the new American consumer.  Axis puts culture at the core of content-driven, digital-forward marketing campaigns for leading brands looking to engage the Whole Market.

As America becomes more diverse and cultures and identities blend into a poly-cultural reality, traditional mass marketing and demographic-based targeting have become obsolete.  Axis' Whole Market approach helps leading brands, companies, institutions and governments uncover universal insights that allow for the personalization of campaigns to ensure maximum relevance across multiple cultures, languages, markets and mediums. 

Headquartered in Los Angeles, Axis has offices in some of the most diverse cities in the country including Miami, Chicago and Dallas.  Axis is ranked by Ad Age as one of the Top 30 Hispanic Advertising Agencies in the U.S.  Axis is a subsidiary of The Interpublic Group of Companies (NYSE: IPG). For more information, visit www.theaxisagency.com.

Contact: Jill TannenbaumCompany: Weber Shandwick          
Phone: 212-546-7815
Email: [email protected]

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SOURCE Weber Shandwick