Helps with premium shockitis

 
Health insurance companies The new Young & Rubicam Group Switzerland has developed a new identity for the reorganized ÖKK. 
"We have to change something, otherwise we will hinder our growth," was the analysis at ÖKK, which operates throughout Switzerland, when the common "dress" for the many small but very successful health and accident insurers became too tight. The market of the former ÖKK was processed and managed from Basel and Landquart. Both groups owned 50 percent of the brand rights. They offered the same products, managed a joint web portal and also ran the same advertising. This will be history on January 1, 2008. ÖKK Basel will become the new insurance brand Sympany (see page 8). ÖKK in Landquart will retain its old name. Following a strategy pitch, the newly active Young & Rubicam Group Switzerland was entrusted with the development of the new ÖKK.
Under the strategic direction of Managing Partner Caspar Coppetti, the agency first analyzed how advertising for health insurance companies appears today - "mostly bored", as the creatives are convinced. Again and again, happy-looking but interchangeable people serve as key visuals. Once for healthy wellness. In the other example, when being together with the growing family. Hardly any of the health insurance companies have been able to achieve an outstanding unique position in Y&R's Brand Asset Valuator with such ideas. "We even found an image motif that was used in a similar form by three health insurance companies," says Coppetti.
Y&R has now looked for other ideas for the new ÖKK. First of all, they want to differentiate themselves from the wholesome world of photography with rather "evil" comic drawings. The campaign was developed by Martin Stulz and Dominik Oberwiler. The illustrator was
Y&R found this in-house with Rob Hartmann. The creative freedom with the abstract comics also opened up the opportunity for subtle verbal humor. "Premium shockitis" or "twiddling one's thumbsitis" are illnesses that should no longer exist for ÖKK policyholders in the future. In addition to the ten print subjects to date, the comic idea also opens up rewarding opportunities for TV commercials and cross-media online campaigns, and the logo was also adapted as part of the new CI. The somewhat staid blue has been replaced by a dynamic red. Various ballast in the sublines was jettisoned. The more modern appearance will also be reflected in the websites.
An important element in the communication for the new ÖKK will be a customer magazine, which has been designed by the specialists within the Y&R Group and the Zurich communications agency Brandaffairs not as a PR tool, but according to very journalistic criteria, as Peter Werder, Head of Corporate Communications at ÖKK, is pleased to announce. The staff will include, for example, NZZ writers or people from 20 Minuten.
With this first overall order for all specialists from the entire Y&R Group, the company is also pleased with the creative and uncomplicated cooperation with ÖKK - because it was carried out directly via the Board of Directors and the management.
Andreas Panzeri
More transparency in new waysÖKK is breaking new ground.
ÖKK Basel and ÖKK Kranken- und Unfallversicherungen AG (KUV AG) are differentiating their market presence: from January 1, 2008, ÖKK Basel and ÖKK Schweiz (based in Basel) will operate under the Vivao Sympany brand and as companies of the Sympany Group founded by ÖKK Basel. ÖKK KUV AG, based in Landquart, will remain ÖKK and adopt a new identity. Because both companies have grown successfully throughout Switzerland, they will no longer divide up customer service by region. At the same time as the realignment
ÖKK Kranken- und Unfallversicherungen AG is renewing its image and going on the offensive with Sympany in Basel as of January 1. It will now be known simply as ÖKK and present itself with a new logo. "Today, 40 percent of our private customers already live outside the canton of Graubünden. We will continue to grow throughout Switzerland," explains Stefan Schena. In the next few years, agencies are planned in Bern and the Zurich lowlands, among other places. The head office in Landquart will be expanded. (pan)