2007 Press Releases
BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina to Host Annual Direct Marketing Conference for Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans
Conference devoted to Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and direct marketing
is in its 16th year
Wayne, PA - March 27, 2007 - BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina will serve as the host plan for the 2007 Annual Direct Marketing Conference for Independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans. The conference series, to be held April 18-20, 2007, at the Hotel del Coronado on Coronado Island in San Diego, California, is now in its 16th year.
The first direct marketing conference in 1992 was organized by Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans eager for continuing education in the direct response marketing specialty and for help in developing strategies and tactics for meeting industry challenges.
This year's conference will open with a welcome and remarks by Irving Albrecht, Director, Direct Marketing and New Market Development, at BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina. Doug Saunders, Senior Consultant, Strategic Services, at the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, is slated to present the opening keynote, "An Overview of National Competition in Both the Under- and Over-65 Individual Markets."
Two days of roundtable discussions will delve into such relevant topics as marketing to the influencer; incorporating market research into creative campaigns; using alternative media to support direct marketing; applying value-added benefits as an advantage; leveraging effective broker programs; incorporating automated outbound phone and e-mail marketing; and what worked, what bombed.
Other conference topics include:
- The Alphabet Soup of Medicare: PPO, HMO, PFFS, D, POS, A-L Medicare Supplements, MSA - How to Effectively Market Multiple Medicare Products
- Retention Strategies: How to Keep What You Have in Today's Competitive Market
- Mini-Meds: How to Sell Them and to Whom
- Reaching Out to Unique Markets (Medicare Special Needs, Ethnic Groups, and Long-Term Care Prospects)
- Lessons Learned from the Shortened Medicare Enrollment Periods: What to Do, What Not to Do
- Targeted Messaging: How Marketers Are Finding, and Speaking to, Different Market Segments
Preceding the conference, a bonus workshop with a theme in keeping with the Coronado Island location - "Hooks, Lines, and Sinkers: Using All Your Best Equipment to Reel in Your Prospects" - will be conducted by conference organizer DMW Worldwide LLC. DMW is a full-service direct response advertising agency with a specialty practice devoted to assisting Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans using direct-to-market products to individual consumers, Medicare beneficiaries, and small groups.
Topics for the bonus workshop include "Get Their Attention with Your 'Brand Name' Hook," "The 'Direct' Line Reinforces the Hook and Connects Prospects to You," and "Sink Your Message Right Where You Want It."
DMW has worked with Blue plans in nearly 40 states and has handled event planning for this annual direct marketing event since its inception in 1992. Prior to joining DMW, the agency's president and CEO, Warren Hunter, had been vice president of direct marketing for BlueCross and BlueShield of Florida. Previous conference hosts have included Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans from Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kansas, Maine, New York, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Connecticut, Texas, and Virginia.
For more information or to register for the conference, contact event organizer Allegra Craig, of DMW, at 610-407-0407 or via e-mail at acraig@dmwdirect.com. Members of the media are invited to contact Craig for press pass information.
About BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina
Headquartered in Columbia, S.C., BlueCross BlueShield of South Carolina (www.SouthCarolinaBlues.com) is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, and association of Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.
About DMW Worldwide LLC
DMW Worldwide is a full-service direct response advertising agency with offices in Wayne, Pa., and Plymouth, Mass. The ECHO Award-winning agency - which ranked 38th in the prestigious Advertising Age "Top 50 Direct Marketing Agencies" list and 6th in the Philadelphia Business Journal list of "Top 25 Advertising Agencies" - provides strategic planning, creative, database management, broadcast, media, production, fulfillment, and Internet marketing. Industries served include insurance, health care, financial services, consumer products, B2B, and non-profit. Warren Hunter, President and CEO of DMW, can be reached at 610-407-0407 or via e-mail at whunter@dmwdirect.com. Visit DMW's Website at www.dmwdirect.com.