Author: Patricia Uhrich

Medicare Advantage Plans Enter a New Age of Innovation and Competition

When your business is heavily regulated by the federal government, innovation and progress don’t come easy. Such is the case with Medicare Advantage (MA) plans which provide health coverage to 22 million Medicare beneficiaries. Everything about operating these plans (benefits, rates, marketing campaigns, etc.) happens under the watchful eye of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).   Last year, MA plans received some good news. CMS announced that plans could add supplemental benefits for home care and adult day care in 2019.  Now, CMS is allowing MA plans to expand coverage in 2020 with benefits that are “not necessarily health-related but have a reasonable expectation of improving or maintaining the health.”   Watch for new plans and new benefits coming in 2020.   According to Home Health Care News, there are at least 16 new MA plans becoming available  during the 2020 Annual Election Period when members can switch MA plans. Added competition is...

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Back to college: Reaching tomorrow's consumers today.

Back-to-College: Reaching tomorrow’s most valuable consumers today

Now that U.S. campuses are beginning to fill with nearly 20 million students, it’s a good time to consider what this means to your brand today and tomorrow. At this very moment, they have back-to-school needs and interests. Not too far down the road, they have the potential to become your most profitable customers.   3 key reasons why they’re the most sought-after segment: Today, Gen Z represent 44 billion dollars in estimated buying power   After they graduate, they will earn anywhere from 42% - 135% more than workers with no degree   College years represent a pivotal time in people’s lives when they are straying from parents and defining who they are and want to be. Connect with them now and you could reap some serious lifetime value.   How do you connect to Gen Z? Some traditional brands are doing surprisingly well.  Student brand ambassadors have been a big thing for companies such as...

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Non-traditional cures for summertime marketing blues

Reaching people by traditional media in the summer can be difficult. Your audience may be on  vacation or enjoying the outdoors near home but away from their screens and mailboxes. Fortunately, there’s still time to reach them via some non-traditional outdoor advertising. Whether at the shore or the ballpark you’ve certainly noticed some creative skywriting, banners, blimps, etc. vying for your attention. The question is, are they worth the investment? They must be paying off for someone. Here’s what we know.   Blimps If you want a modern airship like one of the 246-foot Goodyear Blimps, be prepared to shell out $21 million. Most advertisers simply rent a blimp from AirSign that gives them a flying 128-foot billboard with a price range of $200k to $400k per event. Mind you, these are piloted airships with custom skins that are typically reserved for big-budget brands. The return? Besides undeniable visibility that you can’t turn...

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Taking cues from nature to give marketing a boost

Continuing along the “green” path established in our previous post, Tapping into Conscious Consumerism?,  we’ve been looking into the ways in which the natural world influences marketing.   Engineers have long been exploring biomimicry to advance technology and develop new products. Velcro is one of the earliest examples. It was created when a Swiss electrical engineer looked into how seeds clung to his clothing and his dog when he walked in the woods. More recently, scientists have been researching mother nature’s DNA molecules as an incredibly compact and stable source of massive data storage.   In the marketing world, we have been tapping nature, often unknowingly, through rules that have developed over time. Of course, there’s always room to learn more…   We are all flower children Humans are not unlike bees and butterflies when it comes to bright colors. The plants apparently know this, using yellows, blues, pinks, and purples to stand out from the background...

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🎉 We are thrilled to announce that Direct Choice, Inc., in partnership with @centercityfilmvideo , won two Telly Awards! 🎥✨
🥈 Silver Telly in the Insurance category for Jefferson Health Plans` "Reshape Your Medicare" campaign
🥉 Bronze Telly in the Insurance category for Blue Cross NC`s "Yes Plan 2" campaign
A huge thank you to our incredible team and partners for their dedication and creativity. We couldn`t have done it without you! Here`s to many more successful campaigns ahead. 🥂
#TellyAwards #DirectChoice #CenterCityFilmAndVideo #BlueCrossNC #JeffersonHealthPlans #AwardWinningCampaign
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Had a little sprinkle last week for our Production Director, Tom Mellon! He and his wife Marghi are expecting an addition to the family in May. Delicious lunch @whitedogwayne ! Best Wishes Tom and Marghi!! ...

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Direct Choice was honored to present this check to Alex Archawski from the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network (GPVN). GPVN’s mission is making Greater Philadelphia the Best Place For Veterans. #phillyvets #gpvn #communitymatters #givingback ...

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To celebrate the sentiments of peace, love and understanding, this year we are contributing to the Greater Philadelphia Veterans Network, who work to make our city the best place for Veterans. Happy Holidays from Direct Choice Inc!
#Phillyvets #GPVN #HappyHolidays
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A fun time and great food at our annual holiday luncheon and gift exchange held @autographwayne! Many alcohol-related gifts beginning with the letter “I”! Thanks Nick! (We missed you Beth!) #happyholidays #whiteelephant #funholidaytimes ...

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Had a fun and informative time at the @BCAPhilly Hospitality Breakfast last Friday. Speaker @TarynSouthern gave a thought-provoking presentation focused on how AI is changing our world. #ai #aimarketing #bcaphilly ...

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Proud to report that Direct Choice picked up 2 Benny Awards last night in the digital/social media marketing categories - Congrats to All!! #pdma #bennyawards #socialmediamarketing #digitalmarketing ...

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This holiday season, we’re continuing to support @philabundance to help them end hunger in our local communities. Happy Holidays from Direct Choice Inc! #philabundance #happyholidays ...

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Kudos for Direct Choice at the PDMA Benny Awards last night. DCI won the top award in 3 categories PLUS WON BEST IN SHOW! Congrats to ALL #PDMA #bennyawards ...

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Here`s something many of us can relate to in the era of virtual meetings - enjoy a good laugh and Happy Holidays from the DCI team! #virtualbloopers #Happyholidays #happyholidays2021 ...

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