Best Insurance Interactive Application

In 2008, Blue Shield of California redesigned the online landing page used for direct-to-consumer promotional campaigns (www.blueshieldcaplans.com). The purpose of the redesign was to improve site content, functionality and usability – with the intent of encouraging consumers to purchase a Blue Shield health plan. Additionally, the effort aligned the look and feel of the page with Blue Shield's brand of “making it easy” – both in terms of visual elements and graphic design, as well as the type of information presented.

The changes were designed to have a broad appeal to a variety of consumers who may be in different stages of shopping for a health insurance plan:
• Starting to shop/information seekers – easy-to-find and understand plan information and quoting functionality to help them evaluate options
• Active shoppers – tools to get help quickly by contacting a representative bu phone, email or online request
• Ready-to-buy prospects – easy access to the online application

In a side-by-side (A/B) test of the new design against the previous page version, the new page generated 20% more sales leads and drove a 55% reduction in page bounce rate, indicating that new page design and content effectively meets consumer needs. As a result, it was designated as the new “control”.

Visitors coming to this landing page are driven by marketing campaigns, such as paid search or direct mail, that are targeted to California adults who are shopping for individual health insurance. The site receives between 30,000 – 40,000 visitors per month.

Contributors:

Sue DeLeeuw:	Director of Consumer Marketing, Blue Shield of California
Hali Burbige:	Acquisition Team Manager, Blue Shield of California
Nina Higgins:	Online Marketing Manager, Blue Shield of California
Pattie Tracy:	Sales Promotion Manager, Blue Shield of California
Matteo Vianello:	Creative Director, Blue Shield of California
Hong-Y Johnson:	Art Director, Blue Shield of California
Catherine Martin:	eBusiness Online Marketing Lead, Blue Shield of California
Chris Kung:	Development Lead, Blue Shield of California
Christina Goebel:	User Experience Manager, Blue Shield of California

BLUE SHIELD OF CALIFORNIA

Location: USA