Zing Health
Building a Medicare Advantage startup's entire brand from scratch and launching it into an underserved market with record-breaking results.
How do you launch a new health insurance brand in a crowded market, build trust with underserved communities, and drive thousands of enrollments—all from a standing start? This was the challenge Zing Health, a visionary Medicare Advantage startup, brought to Birk Creative. They had a mission, but no brand, no digital presence, and no market recognition. They needed a partner to not only create a brand from scratch but to deliver measurable results and exceptional ROI from day one. We built their entire brand ecosystem, from visual identity to market launch, and in the process, delivered a campaign performance that outperformed industry benchmarks by over 800%.
The Visual Identity
The tagline we developed became the heartbeat of the brand, capturing the energy, vitality, and optimism that Zing Health promised to bring to Medicare Advantage. But behind those three simple words was a comprehensive brand strategy built on deep audience understanding, cultural intelligence, and a commitment to delivering exceptional, data-driven results.
Our primary goal was to create a visual identity that felt both trustworthy and energetic, differentiating Zing Health from the sterile, corporate feel of traditional insurance providers. The centerpiece of this work was a comprehensive, 55-page brand guidelines manual that defined every aspect of the brand's visual and verbal language.
For the primary typeface, we selected Proxima Nova, a modern sans-serif that strikes a perfect balance between clarity and warmth. Its clean, open letterforms ensure legibility for a senior audience, while its geometric construction provides a contemporary, friendly feel. This choice provided a clear, understated backdrop for the rest of the brand identity, ensuring that messaging was always accessible and easy to read.
The color palette combines a vibrant, energetic orange with a stable, trustworthy blue, creating a visual tension that reflects the brand's promise of both vitality and security. The signature graphic element, the "Z Rays," adds a sense of motion and dynamism, visually representing the "Zing" in Zing Health. This system was extended across all brand collateral, from the website and social media to member materials and environmental signage, ensuring a consistent and recognizable brand experience at every touchpoint.
The Strategy
Underpinning every piece of content and every advertisement was our commitment to healthcare literacy and cultural competency. We conducted extensive research into the barriers that Cook County seniors, particularly those in Black and Latino communities, face when navigating Medicare. This research was not just for show—it was the foundation of a strategy designed to drive real-world results.
Our culturally competent approach was directly responsible for the campaign's record-breaking success. By creating messaging that acknowledged the real challenges of accessing healthcare and celebrated the cultural values of the communities we were serving, we built a level of trust that translated directly into engagement. This strategy is why our communication-focused ads achieved a 7% click-through rate—a figure that is over 8 times the healthcare industry average of 0.83%.
Our Approach
Our approach went far beyond digital. We leveraged our deep media relationships to execute a comprehensive campaign that included:
Radio: 6.5+ million impressions across 74 counties via the Illinois Radio Network.
Television: 4 TV commercials and 4 web videos that aired across the state.
Out-of-Home: 7 high-traffic billboards in key locations.
Transit: Advertising on 15 CTA routes in the Chicago metro area.
Crucially, we over-delivered on every aspect of the campaign, producing more radio spots, TV commercials, and billboard designs than promised, all while staying on a modest budget. We also secured significant donated airtime and media space, maximizing the campaign's reach and impact without additional cost to the taxpayer.
Exceptional ROI
Our performance didn't just look good in a vacuum; it crushed industry standards. We proved that a smart, culturally intelligent strategy is the most efficient use of a startup's budget.
Record-Breaking Engagement: Our communication-focused ads achieved a 7% Click-Through Rate (CTR), outperforming the 2020 healthcare industry benchmark of 0.83% by over 840%.
Cost-Effective Acquisition: We achieved a $1.89 Cost Per Click (CPC) on Google Ads, 28% more efficient than the industry benchmark of $2.62.
Maximum Reach, Minimum Spend: We reached over a quarter of a million unique individuals at a cost of just 2.4 cents per person.
Every follower, every impression, and every engagement was a direct result of the brand we built. Birk Creative didn't just support a launch; we created a brand from nothing and made it a recognized, trusted, and high-performing name in a competitive market.
The Birk Creative Difference
Throughout this engagement, Birk Creative functioned as more than an agency; we were Zing Health's strategic partner and brand steward, delivering proven ROI and data-driven results that outperform industry standards. JinJa Birkenbeuel provided ongoing strategic consulting, advising on everything from messaging decisions to partnership opportunities to crisis communications during the pandemic.
The brand we built and the systems we established enabled Zing Health to not only launch successfully but to thrive and grow in a competitive landscape. We demonstrated that a brand built on a foundation of cultural intelligence and strategic insight isn't a cost center—it's a startup's most powerful performance driver.
The Result
From Zero to 8x Industry Benchmarks
For a startup with no brand recognition, launching into a competitive market requires more than just a creative vision; it demands immediate, measurable impact. Our strategy delivered. The moment we launched, the results were not just positive—they were explosive, proving the power of a brand built on deep strategy and cultural intelligence.
The data from our initial launch period (October 2019 - May 2020) tells a clear story of unprecedented growth from a starting point of absolute zero. With a modest ad spend of just over $6,400, we didn't just enter the market—we created it.
Deliverables
Strategy & Branding
Complete brand identity creation (logo, color palette, typography, graphic elements)
55-page corporate brand guidelines manual
Brand messaging and voice development
Tagline creation ("Health insurance that will make you Zing, Zing, Zing!")
Go-to-market strategy
Healthcare literacy analysis and strategy
Competitive analysis and market positioning
-
Digital & Advertising
Website design and front-end development
Social media strategy and management (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter)
Bilingual content calendars (English and Spanish)
Google Ads and Facebook Ads campaign strategy and management
Total ad buy strategy and management
Campaign optimization and A/B testing
Community & Content
Ambassador program strategy and implementation
"Live Amazing" YouTube/Facebook Live show (18 episodes with scripting, production, editing, graphics)
"Zing Community" Facebook group establishment and management
Health and wellness education content (videos, curated cookbooks, recipesCOVID-19 response content and messaging
Community engagement and moderation
Collateral & Design
Photography art direction and custom shoots
Presentation templates (PowerPoint and Google Slides)
Marketing and sales collateral
Environmental signage design
Promotional product design (t-shirts, hats, tote bags, water bottles, laptop sleeves, mugs)
Stationery system (business cards, letterhead, envelopes)
Member and provider materials
Infographics and educational materials
Technical & Operations
Domain and server setup
Email system configuration
Social media platform establishment
Google platform setup and optimization
Cloud-based collaboration system implementation
Asset management and digital archiving
Translation & Localization
Spanish translation services (all materials)
Cultural adaptation and localization
Bilingual content calendars and approval workflows