In the summer edition of our customer spotlight, we reached out to our newest client Evergreen Health, a health insurance provider serving Marylanders. Evergreen was recently acquired by two large Maryland health systems to help renew and extend the company’s commitment to the state. Orange Element was named their agency of record to help with a variety of marketing and branding initiatives.
Our team sat down with Dustin Plantholt, Chief of Sales and Marketing, to learn more about the company’s new direction and how Evergreen plans to take their brand forward with our team.
Tell us about your position at Evergreen and what working there means to you.
Currently I am the Chief Sales and Marketing Officer at Evergreen. I have had a tremendous experience and challenge guiding the sales, account management and marketing teams to grow our business despite the obstacles Evergreen has faced while navigating through the Maryland market. This has included facing off against national competitors and dominant regional companies with unlimited resources.
Evergreen is in the midst of an exciting shift in the marketplace. What are your goals the company this year?
This year we aspire to gain market share by growing our small and large group market segment, and will also focus on growing our physician network. From a marketing standpoint, we are committed to repositioning our brand, with a B2B-focused campaign, in an effort to improve our image in the market.
What is the biggest challenge as you communicate with your key stakeholders and how do you overcome it?
Our biggest challenge is to differentiate Evergreen from our competitors in an industry where rates can, at times, be commodity-based. This is difficult given our size, our number of years in the market, and the difficulties we have faced in light of our purchase by investors and move to a for-profit organization.
If you could share one unique element about Evergreen to your audience, what would it be?
I believe we’re truly unique because of our connection to Maryland. We’re your neighbors. We drive through rush hour traffic on 695 to get to work just like you. We travel across the Bay Bridge to get to Ocean City for summer vacation. We have Ray Lewis bobbleheads on our desks. We believe our health insurance best serves Marylanders because it’s built by Marylanders.
What trends do you expect to see (or are currently seeing) in the healthcare industry?
I expect to see consumers purchasing plans with higher deductibles and more out-of-pocket expense. This is due to inflationary trends within the health insurance industry. Longer term, I believe the market rates will stabilize, but consumers will continue to bear higher cost-sharing.
What influenced your organization to work with Orange Element?
We chose Orange Element as our creative agency because we were impressed with your team’s quality of work and 14 years of proven experience in the Maryland market. Also, Orange Element is an Evergreen group, and moving forward, we aim to select local vendors who support us as our partners, in an effort to promote business for Maryland by Marylanders!
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