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IAB HK Digital Awards 2024: Most Efficient Use of Budget Campaign - BRONZE (When Santa’s ‘Ho Ho Ho’ Becomes ‘Ho’spital)

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Campaign: When Santa’s ‘Ho Ho Ho’ Becomes ‘Ho’spital

Brand: Cigna Worldwide General Insurance Company Limited

Agencies: FABCOM, Hungry Digital

 

Challenges & Objectives

Facing competition from high-budget holiday campaigns and health insurance fatigue, the challenge is to stand out with a limited budget. Goals include making health insurance top-of-mind during festivities, simplifying its benefits through humor, and converting awareness into leads—all while engaging a distracted audience.

 

Insight and Strategy

Strategic Approach

  • Use Santa Claus, a universal Christmas icon, to humanize health protection in a lighthearted yet relevant way.
  • Blend emotional storytelling with practical holiday health tips for memorable, culturally resonant messaging.

Media Strategy

Maximize impact with a limited budget, boosting demand in Q4 (traditionally low-performing).

  • Full-Funnel Approach: Christmas-themed creatives to drive awareness, consideration, and conversion.
  • Channel Mix:
    • Meta (FB/IG): Humor-driven posts, interactive Stories, and ASC for high-intent conversions.
    • Taboola: Narrative-driven native ads to capture interest.
    • The Trade Desk: Retargeting engaged users for conversion.
    • Google PMax: AI-optimized placements for visibility and conversions.
  • Optimization: Real-time analytics to prioritize top creatives/audiences, ensuring ROI.

 

Execution

  • Core Idea: When Santa’s ‘Ho Ho Ho’ becomes ‘Ho’spital,’ Cigna Healthcare is here for you.
  • Awareness:
    • Curiosity-driven static/video ads of Santa in health mishaps.
    • Landing page with holiday health tips/insurance bundles.
  • Consideration:
    • Banner ads showcasing VHIS & Elite360 benefits.
    • Interactive Instagram Stories for engagement.
  • Conversion:
    • Festive-themed offers (couples/families) to align with "gifting" season.
    • Tactical messaging to drive leads.

 

Innovation

  • Generative AI Integration with Industry-Leading Tools
    • Midjourney:
      • Generated high-quality Santa visuals.
      • Enabled fast revisions for humorous, relatable scenarios.
    • Runway:
      • Animated static images with seamless transitions.
      • Enhanced storytelling with dynamic motion.
    • Adobe Photoshop Generative Fill:
      • Optimized visuals for ads across sizes.
      • Added personalized details efficiently.
  • Generative AI Efficiency
    • Produced high-volume, customized static/animated visuals for audience segments.
    • Reduced production costs by ~25% vs. traditional methods.
    • Enabled rapid iterations based on real-time feedback.
  • Festive Storytelling with a Humorous Twist
    • Humanized health insurance with humor via Santa Claus.
    • Broke through holiday ad clutter with relatable storytelling.
  • Data-Driven Agility
    • Real-time budget optimization based on performance metrics.
    • Precision targeting via Meta, PMax, TTD, and native ads to maximize ROI.

 

Results

  • Brand Searches: Observed a 14% growth in search volume for pure brand terms year-over-year, showing increased top-of-mind awareness.
  • Engagement: Achieved a 31% uplift in session engagement time and a 7% higher engagement rate year-over-year, reflecting compelling audience connection.
  • Lead Performance: Drove a 52% uplift in average daily paid lead volume year-over-year, showcasing the campaign’s ability to turn engagement into measurable action.