Travel Guard
The Situation
The outbreak of the H1N1 virus – popularly known as swine flu – in the spring of 2009 created wide-spread panic around the globe. Travel bans, the possibility of outbreaks and cancelled vacations lead to a daunting travel climate. MMG positioned Travel Guard, the country’s leading travel insurance and assistance provider, as a resource that could provide key information on H1N1 and educate travelers on the need for and benefits of travel insurance in light of the recent health scare. Additionally, the agency reinforced the importance of Travel Guard’s Cancel for Any Reason policy, which covers travelers concerned with health advisories.
The Strategy
To combat consumer fear of travel related to H1N1, the agency designed acoordinated public education campaign to address consumer questions regarding H1N1, travel insurance and leisure travel. Working with a limited budget to address a broad target audience, the agency developed a highly targeted media out-reach plan focusing on top-tier national media, with a focus on national newspapers and Web sites. MMG arranged one-on-one “Q&A” interviews with key national newspaper and digital media with Travel Guard’s vice president, Dan McGinnity.MMG also worked with Travel Guard to implement a program that offered free assistance and information to travelers concerned with H1N1. The agency promoted the free offering to U.S. and Canadian travelers to travel, health and consumer news editors. Lastly, MMG identified Travel Guard’s Cancel for Any Reason coverage as an ideal vehicle to help consumers confidently continue with their spring and summer travel plans.
The Results
The resulting print and electronic stories generated far-reaching national coverage across print and electronic media, including the Associated Press wire service, top-10 national newspapers including the AtlantaJournal-Constitution, the ChicagoSun-Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Seattle Times, and digital media including About.com and Forbes.com.