Case Study: PacificSource Sweeps the Tellys

The challenge:

PacificSource is a not-for-profit, regional health insurance carrier operating in the Northwest—a region with a lot of competition and large national and regional carriers with big marketing budgets. Growing brand awareness and affinity are key priorities for PacificSource—both goals that are challenging to achieve in a landscape where the competition can always outspend them.

Television is typically thought of as a great medium for promoting a brand message and building awareness that will influence consumer purchasing decisions down the line. But as a regional brand with a relatively modest budget, PacificSource has to fight with other insurance carriers and large national brands from every industry to get their message out via television. A big challenge, but not an insurmountable one. TA’s job was to produce new television spots that were entertaining enough to be remembered on a modest budget, even when up against big household-name brands.

The solution:

Leverage audience insights to produce TV spots that are memorable because they entertain audiences with proven narrative strategies.

TA’s approach:

We took a deep dive into the performance data of past PacificSource commercials to uncover what the most memorable spots had in common. Our annual brand awareness survey provided valuable insights about PacificSource commercials that ran between 2017 and 2022. During that time period, the spots that consumers found the most memorable and engaging had two things in common: they utilized humor and relatable scenarios.

Using this insight we were able to produce four new, standout spots that audiences remembered and received industry recognition.

What we brought to the table:

• Strategic planning
• Creative
• Film & motion

“Whether we admit it or not, advertising is an unwelcome interruption to the content a person is trying to view. This reality is what guides our creative process. If we expect the audience to watch, we should make sure it’s worth watching.”

Justin Russell — PacificSource Creative Director Marketing

Results:

Quantifiable Outcomes:

• 23% of surveyed consumers remembered seeing Night Out, which is on par with some of the most memorable ads from past years. 36% percent of Medicare-age consumers (the primary audience for this spot) remembered seeing this ad.
• 55% found The Call engaging—a very strong result compared to past spots.

Telly Award Wins:

• 3 Gold Awards in the Region TV General Insurance category

○  Trapped

○  Cards

○  Night Out

• 1 Silver Award in the Region TV General Insurance category

○  The Call

“I’m grateful to have a client like PacificSource that gives us the chance to collaborate and produce unexpected work in the health insurance space. It’s truly a rare and wonderful thing.”

Spencer Dickson — group creative director