For 55 years, Campbell Mithun has sent a holiday angel to clients, coworkers and friends:  55 angels, 55 original creations, 55 unique visions.  To us, they represent ideas. Seeds of originality that start in our minds and then, born through collaboration, become something we can see, feel, and most importantly share. When ideas are treated like gifts, the result can be truly amazing. 

This year’s Campbell Mithun holiday angel was painstakingly handcrafted by artist Christi Becker from beautiful white porcelain with a delicate matte finish. It's hard to fully comprehend the effort and skill involved in the making of this year’s creation. Every single angel was hand cast and finished.  Each underwent careful construction, the smoothing of seams, sanding and firing. We visited Christi in her Coldspring studio to capture the story and share it at www.makinganangel.com

Christi spent hour upon hour testing the porcelain slip and really pushing the medium to a wonderful place -- giving us a truly elegant statue this year. Please take some time to watch the video and learn more about how your angel was created.

And as you look at the amazing array of angels and ideas past, we hope you'll also be looking ahead, because there's a whole lot more to come.

-- Heath Rudduck, chief creative officer

“Because that’s what health insurance is. A promise.” 

MINNEAPOLIS – Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield just launched its new “Promises Matter” campaign, via agency partner Campbell Mithun, in a move to proclaim its confidence as a health insurance company that knows who it is, what it stands for and what it believes. The work directly communicates the trust and integrity that’s both central to Wellmark’s identity and increasingly valued by consumers navigating the shifting healthcare landscape.

“By showing our belief in and respect for the power of promises, this campaign brings the company’s core belief of integrity to life in a very human way,” said George Hanna, executive vice president of sales and marketing at Wellmark.  “When people are managing something as important as their health, that really does matter.”

The campaign showcases everyday scenarios of real-life promise keeping, from a dad who catches his jumping daughter in a pool to a couple celebrating decades of marriage. Other executions actually personalize Wellmark by featuring real employees: Laura, from claims, promises “I will see a face behind every claim”; Dennis, from customer service, promises “I cannot cure pain, but I can ease pain.” Eight staff members are featured in the brand video, whose voiceover says, “At Wellmark, we believe the promises a company makes are no different than the promises people make.”

“You can’t bring an idea like Promises Matter to just any client. The company has to believe it,” said Reid Holmes, executive creative director at Campbell Mithun.  “Our research proved that consumers who put their trust in Wellmark aren’t just putting blind faith in a company, but in people who believe integrity is fundamental to how they work.”

Creative executions for “Promises Matter” include: brand video, TV, print, digital banners, out of home and radio. The campaign will run regionally with a variety of related executions through 2013.  

The integrated campaign debuts the first work created by Campbell Mithun since winning the Wellmark business late in 2011.  The agency maintains a substantial health practice and has served clients including Airborne, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Easter Seals, Eli Lily, Kimberly-Clark, The Mayo Clinic, Novartis, Pfizer and Sonovion brands (Xopenex, Lunesta), among others.

Agency Credits

Chief creative officer:  Heath Rudduck

Executive creative director:  Reid Holmes

Copywriter:  Joe Stefanson

Art director:  Randy Gerda

Director of integrated production:  Kathy DiToro

Executive producer: Bill Smallacombe

Print producer / art buyer: Bill Schneck

Creative technologist: Ryan Payne

Director of strategic planning: Lynn Franz

Account director:  Amy Wexler

 
Production Credits

Production studio: Jonathan Chapman Motion

Director: Jonathan Chapman

Edit studio: Channel Z

Editor: Mike Weldon

About Wellmark

Wellmark, Inc. (www.wellmark.com) does business as Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa. Wellmark and its subsidiaries and affiliated companies, including Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc., insure or pay health benefit claims for more than 2 million members in Iowa and South Dakota. Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Iowa, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield of South Dakota, and Wellmark Health Plan of Iowa, Inc. are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association.