A May 2019 Research Brief commissioned by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation addressed Best Practices of Health Exchanges across the country and showcased the Maryland Health Exchange. Cool & Associates, LLC was proud to be a part of the team, contributing strategically and in particular with the 2.0 percent increase in Hispanic enrollment during the 2019 Open Enrollment Marketplace. This increase was especially notable since overall enrollments fell by 2.6 percent compared to 2018.
About one-third of uninsured Maryland residents identify as Hispanic, making the Cool team a natural fit for community outreach. The State’s marketing consultant, GMMB, developed mainstream messaging for social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, then Cool took over to “Latinize” and localize with a focus on including actors and images of race, ethnicity, and cultural relevance to the Hispanic audience.
As stated by GMMB, “We gave them our core messages and the visuals we were using, but we emphasized that we really wanted them to create the content so that it was authentic, in their own voice, so that it would resonate with their followers….What is really powerful about the content they shared is the conversation that followed.”
In an era of decreased funding, the report points out that partnerships are more critical than ever and that tapping into local, trusted sources is key. Cool’s network within the Hispanic community in Maryland is a powerful conduit for conveying relevant and appropriate messaging about services such as affordable health care, always an important topic for an underserved population.
As noted in the report, “Before the message was to be heard [by the Hispanic/Latino community], [our community] had to trust the source.” We worked closely with trusted local influencers and the faith-based community, providing Spanish-language resources for both online access and at family-friendly events across the State.
Part of the campaign’s success was due to Cool’s use of native speakers and linguistics specialists rather than machine-based translations. Having technically correct messages that just don’t “feel right” is the surest way to have that messaging dismissed and ignored – a waste of time and resources for the client, and a tuned-out Hispanic audience.
We know the localized and regional tone of our Hispanic community and we spoke to them in a way that was heard while reflecting the original messaging of the Maryland Health Exchange Open Enrollment campaign.
The Cool Team is honored and pleased to have collaborated with the Maryland Health Exchange and GMMB to achieve a 2 percent increase in Hispanic enrollments in 2019 through our influencer networking, authentic language and cultural relevance, and Latinization of messaging.
For more information about Maryland Health Connection programs in Spanish or English, click here.
To learn how Cool can help your business with Hispanic outreach, contact us here.
