Barton F. Graf calls on industry to create ads for Obamacare in light of advertising budget cuts
Creative agency Barton F. Graf is calling on the advertising industry to create ads and donate media space for the Affordable Care Act - also known as Obamacare - ahead of the upcoming open enrollment period.
A few of the ads created by Barton F. Graf for the Coverage Coalition
The call to arms comes nearly two months after the Trump administration announced its plans to spend 90% less on advertising to get people to sign up for Obamacare than former President Obama did. This year $10m is being allocated to promotional activities for the Affordable Care Act, down from more than $100m last year.
Barton F. Graf has put together the Coverage Coalition in hopes of encouraging its industry counterparts to spread the word about open enrollment, which will begin on 1 November and end on 15 December. The New York-based agency said the Coverage Coalition is a “non-partisan, non-political, pro-bono effort.”
For creatives who are interested in contributing, Barton F. Graf has provided a simple brief and style guide to help them get started. The agency is encouraging creative to send their ads and ideas ads@coveragecoalition.org. Those that can help with targeting or provide media space are being asked to contact media@coveragecoalition.org.
Coverage Coalition partners include Psyop, Freedman International, Hook QA, Never The Less, Park Pictures and Get America Covered.
"There are millions of people who need an affordable healthcare option. The ACA is one of them, but many people don’t know this,” said Gerry Graf, founder and chief creative officer of Barton F. Graf, in a statement. “The government pulled 90% of the marketing budget for the ACA. We’re good at marketing so we volunteered our services to get the word out that if you qualify, you can sign up between Nov. 1 and 15 December. We’re hoping the rest of the advertising community will join in and help us.”
Barton F. Graf isn't the only entity taking the matter into its own hands. Last month, insurance startup Oscar Health launched a campaign aimed at getting people to enroll following the news of the advertising budget cuts.