Dive Brief:
- Aetna is using a new website, as well as mobile phone apps and print ads, to market to the LGBT community, a population estimated at about 9 million.
- The website helps customers find LGBT-friendly medical providers and says that it provides coverage "with features that fit you, your partner and your family."
- Aetna has taken a supportive stance on LGBT issues for years, providing coverage for domestic partners. It recently decided to package and promote its efforts as a result of feedback from its employees.
Dive Insight:
As a result of healthcare overhaul and the new focus on attracting individuals, it makes sense that insurers might start tailoring their marketing efforts and working to differentiate themselves from other companies, experts say.
"This is a pilot for us to really understand how people are making choices and how people are thinking about purchasing healthcare," Aetna President Karen Rohan told the Associated Press.
Allen Adamson, chairman of North American business for the branding firm Landor Associates, adds that segmented marketing approaches are something he is starting to see more often.
"The days of one message and one story for everybody are dwindling," he said.