I was at physical therapy this morning. As I did my stretches and balancing exercises for my ankle, the local generic “alt” rock radio station was being piped through the speakers and Good Morning America was on the wall television.
On the rock station, I heard a Healthcare.gov “I got covered” ad, an ad from my company advertising its Exchange product. I heard two other competitors advertise their on and off-Exchange products. This radio station’s typical advertising rotation is a combination of bars, strip clubs, debt consolidation agencies, cash for gold and structured settlement companies. The normal advertising mix assumes a fairly young, male and broke listening audience. This is a prime demographic for the subsidized Exchanges.
On Good Morning America, I saw another Healthcare.gov ad, and three ads from two other insurance companies in the area. One was the same company on the radio, and the other was the fourth private plan advertising. The pitch for the last one was “You need to sign up by Dec. 23 for Jan.1 coverage and even if the government website is jacked up, we can help you at 1-800-555-5544”
Four insurance companies are putting their money behind the relaunch with the advertising campaign is a tell that entities with real money to lose if they guess wrong are guessing that things are working right.