The Office of MaineCare Services

An Awareness Campaign for Maine Families

In a state where 1 in 4 Mainers get healthcare through MaineCare, the Office of MaineCare Services came to Ethos to develop an awareness campaign to help eligible Maine families learn more about what MaineCare and the Katie Beckett option (for children with serious health conditions who are not eligible for regular coverage) can offer children.

Raising kids can be expensive. Their health insurance doesn’t have to be

We began with an immersion session with all key stakeholders. We asked and learned about the population MaineCare covers, about barriers that prevented families from signing up for coverage, and about potential motivations that would help them sign up.

With that information to guide us, we developed a campaign plan and began work on concepting and collateral material. Because no brand existed at the time, we also started creating the look and feel of the campaign as we worked.

Great health care coverage is within reach

Understanding there was a need for greater awareness on the part of both healthcare providers and eligible families, we developed a two-tiered campaign that targets both groups and was designed to reduce stigma, increase awareness of eligibility guidelines and benefits, and encourage Maine people to sign up.

The result was a toolkit containing posters, flier, and informational cards for doctors’ offices, daycare centers, schools—and anyone else who is interested in spreading the word about MaineCare. And when the Office of MaineCare Services expanded the original ask to include people under 21 and pregnant people, regardless of immigration status—we developed additional materials added (in nine different languages!).

We also began a digital advertising campaign employing newly created display ads to Google and Meta that point to the MaineCare page on the government site.

Play

Quality insurance, backed by the state of Maine

But we weren’t done yet. Knowing that people who have walked the same path are the most powerful deliverers of a message, we reached out to MaineCare members, asking them if they would be willing to tell their stories and experiences to other families. We were struck by just how many responded. Wanting to, but unable to tell every story, we chose three and developed three documentaries that will appear on the .gov website. In addition, portions will be used for digital advertising and distributed to partners to share at events.

The Results?

The client was so happy with the work that they asked us to develop a logo to represent the entire MaineCare brand. But that’s a study for another day.