Blue Shield Launches New Advertising Campaign

Blue Shield of California last week launched its first ad campaign in six years in an attempt to separate the company from its competitors and from the unpopular image of the health insurance industry, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Bruce Bodaken, CEO of Blue Shield, said the insurer's new ads are intended to convince people that the company simplifies health care and provides coverage at a lower cost than other insurers.

Blue Shield also has changed its logo to a simple blue shield to distinguish itself from Blue Cross of California. The two companies are separate in California, unlike in most other parts of the country.

The Chronicle reports that Blue Shield is not the only insurer using new types of ad campaigns to revamp its image. At a time when health care premiums are rising at more than twice the rate of inflation, several other health insurers are attempting to distance themselves from the industry's negative impression.

Kaiser Permanente broke from the traditional advertising approach in 2004 with its "Thrive" campaign. The campaign is intended to promote healthy lifestyles and disease prevention.

Christine Paige, senior vice president of marketing for Kaiser, said the campaign has been the most effective in Kaiser's history (Colliver, San Francisco Chronicle, 10/13).