By admin 21st Mar

Australian Unity Health – Wellplan magazine

The health-conscious client

Objectives

National health insurer Australian Unity values its customers’ wellbeing. As such, its healthcare department distributes a biannual publication to its database—not only to help readers keep on top of their health but to develop a relationship and instigate a dialogue with members.

The objectives of the publication are to:

• increase the health literacy of members with easy-to-read health and wellbeing articles
• communicate the different services and value-adds available to members
• increase brand awareness
• make members feel valued by receiving ‘something extra’ from their health fund, with the hope of facilitating customer retention

Insights

Australian Unity is a healthcare, financial services and retirement living organisation that assists more than 560,000 Australians. The company has about 280,000 members nationwide, 10,000 of whom have been members for more than 50 years.

Australian Unity’s other communication projects include Lifeplus magazine—also published by Edge—which touches on wellness issues but also covers financial, retirement insurance and business.

Other company-wide marketing programs include the ‘Zoe’ campaign, which targets the younger demographic of Australian Unity members (aged 25–45). The current campaign focuses on blogger Zoe as she goes about her daily life, conveying the message that Australian Unity services are simple and practical to use.

Solution

Since 2008, Edge has nurtured a healthy relationship with Australian Unity, producing wellplan: an informative health/lifestyle publication for members nationwide. A key performer in Australian Unity’s communication mix, wellplan furthers the company’s brand strategy, delivering targeted preventive health messages that help members stay healthy and, in turn, reducing overall claims.

Wellplan is sent to all Australian Unity health insurance members (about 165,000 households)—roughly comprising half male and half female.

With constant evaluation and refinement, each issue of wellplan is better than the last. Each edition contains the latest programs and service offerings available to healthcare members, as well as a topical mix of features—encompassing ailments and illnesses, food and fitness, and expert opinions and advice—that cater to all demographics.

Client testimonial

“Our working relationship with Edge has developed significantly. This is evident not only with what we feel is evolving substantially into an improved member publication, but also in the very positive responses we’ve received from our members and our internal business community. Edge has worked tirelessly and collaboratively with us to achieve our shared goals. To know that their entire team—from management through to editorial and creative—are always on hand has only enhanced our relationship and the end result of a publication delivered on time and to budgetary requirements.”

Glenys Morphett, Campaign Manager, Retention, Australian Unity

About the Editor

Beth Anderson joined Edge in 2011 after a five-year tenure as editor and features writer for a range of consumer magazines. In addition to her work on Way of Life for Suzuki and CRYSTAL for Crown Limited, she enjoys editing Australian Unity’s wellplan magazine, which allows her to indulge her interest for all things health- and fitness-related every day.