RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—Early
next month, Vision Service Plan (VSP) will kick off the initial ad
campaign, including the company’s first-ever television
commercials, for its Signature Choice direct-to-consumer vision
program.
According to Rob Lynch, VSP’s chief executive officer, VSP
has already signed up more than 5,000 consumers for individual
vision-care programs in the past five months, with no marketing
other than Web-site referrals. Once the marketing campaign begins
in early October, “we hope to see a significant
increase,” Lynch said.
The Signature Choice ad campaign will include newspaper and
magazine placements, plus radio spots and bus placards. In
addition, VSP will test TV commercials for the first time, in five
markets: Charlotte, N.C.; Seattle; St. Louis; Sacramento; and
Columbus, Ohio. The company will also distribute materials to
participating eyecare practitioners for use in their offices.
The Signature Choice program, aimed at individuals such as retirees
and the self-employed, began rolling out nationally in April
through the Consumer Choice Association, which offers its members a
range of options to budget for their health-care needs. Enrollment
and billing are handled by Careington International; VSP
administers the underwriting, payments to eyecare practitioners and
customer service for the program.
September 2007