Marketing and brand savvy to help business thrive
Client: Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota
Market research including Voice of Customer, physician interviews and consumer focus groups helped inform smart strategy for this venerable non-profit healthcare organization.
“Lisa recently conducted two qualitative projects for our team here at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota. The first project involved one-on-one interviews with physicians and the second, consumer focus groups. Lisa wrote the discussion guide that was used for the 4 focus groups and was also designed a graphic that clearly explained a very complex concept with few words. She moderated these groups and did a great job of getting full participation, in-depth discussion and making great observations. We have been very pleased with Lisa's work on both studies.”
Rocky Shook, PhD Market Research and Insights
The Challenges
1. New product launch: To respond to ever-changing market dynamics, Blue Cross and Blue Shield (BCBSMN) was crafting an innovative new health insurance product and wanted to gather feedback from various constituents to ensure it would meet market needs.
2. Listening to new members: Each year, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota speaks to some of its newest members to hear about their experience to date. This year's research task was more extensive than in the past, expanding significantly the number of groups they wanted to hear from.
1. Multi-audience research: Over the course of 6 months, I conducted "Voice of Customer" interviews and focus groups with various groups including physicians, company leadership, insurance agents/brokers and consumers to hear first-hand their reactions to the new product concept. The process included writing detailed discussion guides, facilitating the discussions based on those guides and then capturing the salient points and writing up strategic recommendations based on what was learned. Company personnel observed most sessions, and remarked how fruitful, interesting and insightful the discussion was in uncovering new truths.
The research gave Blue Cross the information they needed to shape and hone the product to both be appealing to the end-consumer, and differentiate it from the competition.
2. Focus Groups: Over the course of a week, I conducted focus groups with 12 distinct consumer market segments to hear their unique perspectives on their decision making process, the enrollment process, and their experience with using the plan. I then wrote up findings, implications and recommendations in a detailed report, and reported on key highlights to company personnel. The reaction was extremely positive, and clear action steps were noted.