UnitedHealthcare Case Study

Evaluating Marketing Effectiveness

The Challenge

UnitedHealthcare (UHC), a $40B national healthcare division of UnitedHealth Group, had experienced significant growth over the past 5 years. However, certain local regions were experiencing tremendous competitive pressure and losing share. UHC responded by pulling all marketing levers across pricing, product, promotions, and distribution, but was not certain which elements were most effective in accelerating membership. They needed a more systematic way to measure effectiveness, so that they could not only recover share in these regions, but apply the learnings in other regions in an increasingly competitive industry.

Our Solution

Using data on behaviors, perceptions, and transactions, Prophet assessed the impact of the 4Ps on membership growth through multivariate analytical techniques, both alone (e.g., pricing change only) and in combination (e.g., pricing combined with promotions). Within promotions, we also looked at the relative effectiveness of different media – including radio, print, outdoor, online and direct mail. We assessed the return on these investments both from a business impact and brand perception perspective. The understanding of these levers helped to develop marketing plans in other key markets.

Results

The learnings have been applied to different markets and have helped drive membership growth. In today’s challenging and ever-changing healthcare environment, Prophet is continuing to work with UHC to refine the understanding of various marketing levers in a test-and-learn environment and apply them real-time to their business on a market-by-market basis.