Anthem Benefits Guide Video Concept
Proposal by Paul Horton visuals
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is seeking a new video concept to demonstrate the Benefits Guide. The goal is to communicate that Anthem is the best partner- nationwide- to provide health insurance information and plans, no mater what your business or employees need. As a result of these videos, Anthem wants the primary audience of business owners and HR managers to contact them for a quote or to ask specific questions about their unique needs.
Location
Locations TBD.
Dependent on business locations selected.
Production team can operate locally across the Northeast.
Deliverables
Four 2-3 minute videos, each highlighting a specific story and topic from the Benefits Guide.
Social cuts and promo stills from each video.
about the paul horton visuals team
Paul Horton Visuals is intensely focused on the story form.
We believe that story based communications are the best way to capture and engage an audience that is otherwise distracted and/or uninterested in more conventional marketing forms.
Voice, authenticity, brevity, and frequency are keys to this approach.
Importantly, we are always working with people who are not actors – they are real people, with real day to day concerns, and often very busy.
Our entire crew is versed in these kinds of projects, and they know how to work with respect, sensitivity and good humor. While this may seem like a small concern to many, we believe it is at the core of a successful film project.
Paul Horton Visuals Reel
Details
Our goals
Our goal for this project is engagement – to reach an audience with content that is intriguing, provocative, authentic, and most importantly, engaging. The content should be narrow in scope – that is, we will not overwhelm our audience with tons of details, but will tell very specific stories with which the viewer can relate. After we have engaged the viewer, we can then provide additional material – facts and figures, calls to action - that will provide specific information.
Approach
This proposal envisions a series of short videos (4 in this proposal) that will engage the viewer and motivate them to seek more information and engage further with Anthem. Our goal is to tell a story and engage the viewer, utilizing the voice of a real business owner to do so. Since each of the pieces only features one principle subject, we need to reach our audiences with frequency. Each of these stories will touch on a different aspect of the healthcare needs of employers and their employees. Any one story will not, of course, answer all questions, but taken together can paint a broad picture, and move the viewer to seek further interaction with Anthem. Each story will feature a specific business and the business owner (or HR manager). Their story will be told in their own voice, and in this way, the viewer will sense the authenticity of the story and engage more completely. If appropriate, we will include the Anthem professional in each video who interfaces with that company or organization, who can represent the “expert” point of view, and lend additional information or points of view.
character
Our goal is to feature a character that is real, has experienced real challenges in providing healthcare options for their employees, and who has discovered that Anthem is the solution for their unique situation. The viewer will believe this person, will see themselves and their concerns mirrored, and will empathize and connect with the content.
Sample Video Treatment and Process
Featured
This video will feature a real owner/chef of a larger sized restaurant. This owner must care for his/her staff – without whom the entire venture cannot succeed.
Keywords
During our pre-production, we will generate a list of keywords (5 keywords is usually enough) that will drive our discovery, interview, filming and editing process. Since we work without scripts, we use these keywords to ensure that we capture the relevant content during the production phase, and are able to edit with confidence.
Interviews
It is the voice of the principle subject that will drive these videos, and the interview is the way that we discover, understand and ultimately tell the story. A phone interview with the principle character prior to the film date will allow us to understand the basics of their story, and an on-site, on-camera interview will provide the core of the story telling in the final edit.
Potential quotes we seek to hear from the owner
“A restaurant succeeds or fails in the moment – we don’t get a second chance with our customers. And it is my staff that creates that success. And so, their health and well-being must be a priority for me. Days missed or sub-par work performance due to poor health care is far too costly. I needed a solution…..”
“The part that was so important to me was the wellness program. Anthem really helped find the right choices that would fit my staff. It is so popular with our staff that we meet at the gym, encourage each other’s progress, and celebrate the successes….”
Moodboard
Below are sample images from online sources to show the types of shots and overall feel we would aim for with a restaurant owner. Our approach to b-roll is to first ask the owner what is real to them, what would they be doing during a typical day and other interactions from there. The initial phone call with the owner will help determine these answers ahead of production, thus creating a more efficient day. Our team is very experienced in creating a cinematic documentary experience that is both enjoyable for the subjects involved and also visually engages the viewers.
Relevant Inspirations
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This video demonstrates the power of “voice” and the method by which one individual’s story, told with honesty and authenticity, can sway a viewer.
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This video demonstrates our visual priorities – honest, relatable imagery that features real-life and real people that visually supports the concepts and ideas that are being presented.
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Inspiration
This video is so effective due to its use of an authentic voice and a simple visual. And, of course, a very narrow story that is instantly relatable, understood and absorbed.
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To Avoid
This video demonstrate the use of “talent” on screen. While it can be peppy and informative, the use of on-screen talent is not authentic, and the viewer instantly recognizes this. We do not empathize with this person, and engagement is not nearly as strong.
timeline
The following is a sample estimated timeline approach if we are approved for this project. If there are time delays in confirming some filming days, we can begin editing each video once filmed in order to keep overall project deadline on time.
March 18: Approved for project.
March 21: Confirm 4 featured business owners and hold phone calls with each individual.
March 25: Confirm 4 days of filming and locations.
April 3: Complete 4 days of filming.
April 12: First cuts of each video delivered.
April 19: Second round of cuts of each video delivered after feedback.
April 24: Final rounds of each video delivered.
April 26: Social cuts and promo stills delivered.
Budget breakdown
The following estimate is based on pre-production, four days of production and the delivery of four 2-3 minute edits as well as social cuts and video stills.
Alternate Approach
Plan B
We understand that it may be difficult to source the real businesses and business owners that are already engaged with Anthem. In that case, we propose a second version of the project. The overall goal is the same – to create a series of short videos that will engage the viewer and inspire them to pursue more information about their healthcare and insurance needs. In this version of the project, we will employ talented actors to play the role of the business owner or HR manager. The actor will speak on-camera to the healthcare issues that face the business owner.
These “interviews” will not be scripted. We would have our actors speak to very specific topics that we have identified for each video, but in an authentic, off-the-cuff manner. This tactic will allow us to convince the viewer that these are real people, and in doing so, we will be more likely to engage the viewer and drive them to seek further information.
We would expect that the scope of each video would need to be less than in version one. Since these are not real business owners, (and we don’t want to assert that they are), the depictions will need to be more generic and higher level concepts. The videos will be shorter as well, and that suggests that we create them with more frequency.
Since these are invented situations, we would need to be careful not to be too ambitious in our depictions. The opportunities to film the supporting B roll footage could very well be limited, and so we would need to rely heavily on a “talking head” style of video. It may also be advantageous to utilize some graphics to provide additional information and visual variety. Stock video footage and still photography are also possibilities for visual interest.
The original scope of this proposal includes at least 4 videos. If this approach is selected we would complete our research on actors and cost. One way to accomplish at least 4 videos would be to do multiple short videos with each actor. For example, the “restaurant owner” would cover 3-4 short topics for 3-4 videos, during our one day of production. With the added costs of actors, this approach allows us the flexibility to create several videos and stay within the total original proposed budget.
Thank you for considering this proposal!
Please reach out if you would like to further discuss this proposal or have any questions.
Paul Horton
Principal, Director- Paul Horton Visuals
860-305-8723
134 Clover Street, Middletown, CT 06457