Key takeaways

Kyla Scanlon coined the phrase “vibecession” in a 2022 Substack. The phrase describes how people’s feelings about the economy contradicted the data. People believed the economy was in a recession even though the data painted a fairly rosy picture. Basically, the vibes were bad, hence vibecession. 

Health insurance carriers now find themselves in a vibecession-like situation after a tumultuous 2024 and 2025 that promises to extend into an even messier 2026 and beyond. 

Consumer sentiment’s in the red 

Consumer sentiment with health insurance has fallen precipitously: 

The vibes are bad. Like, really, really bad. 

Health insurance data isn’t clear cut 

In today’s data-driven world, we treat data like an oracle. We say, the data says! But what exactly does it say and who decides? Consider these seemingly contradictory data points. 

Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF) found that 94.39% of 2024 Medicare Advantage and 96.30% of Medicare Part D claims were paid properly. Yet of the top 10 Medicare Advantage providers, 9 overbilled, according to the Inspector General or were accused of fraud by a whistleblower or the U.S. government.  

KFF found that 73% of U.S. adults say delays and denials in prior authorizations are major problems. At the same time, 93+% of medical services and 92+% of prescription medications are not subject to prior-authorization review. 

Is the math not mathing, or could it be that the truth is more complicated and nuanced? Regardless of which data points are “right,” health insurance carriers need to adjust to the vibes. 

Lesson #1: The confusion is real 

Economics, finance, and money are hard. At least for me, which is why I’m a writer. I get the basics of supply and demand, but as soon as you start talking about compound derivatives and futures, my mind is wiped clean as a chalkboard.  

Apparently the same goes for most Americans, with majorities getting it wrong on when we were or weren’t in a recession, the rise of costs vs. wages, wealth accumulation and poverty.  

With health insurance, many of us fall into the confusion boat. As Larry Levitt and Drew Altman said in a 2023 JAMA article, “the reality is that many people are hopelessly confused by how their insurance works.” Consumers may have unrealistic or inaccurate expectations of how health insurance works. They don’t understand how to choose the right plan for them or what costs to expect in their real lives, especially unforeseen ones.  

Carriers can help increase healthcare literacy by simplifying complexity and increasing transparency. They’ve been doing this already with enrollment assessments, guided onboarding via apps, comparison guides with real-world examples and benefit reminders, to name a few.  

But there’s more they could do. Here are a couple examples: 

Photo by Nik on Unsplash 

Lesson #2: You can’t overcome confirmation bias 

If new information won over old positions, then we’d be able to change our minds on a dime. But the truth is, we often double down, even on decisions we know are bad, like making one more bet to get out of the hole or dating that person hoping one day they’ll change. 

That’s why confirmation bias is so powerful. The more confident we are in an initial choice, the more biased we become, seeking out only information to reinforce our beliefs and blocking out information that contradicts it. 

Growing up, my dad always called out gasoline prices. Like him, I became a watchdog. When prices dropped, I barely registered it; instead, I steadied myself for costs to skyrocket again. And because they always did, I was proven right. See, gas is sooo expensive. Eggs became the gasoline of the vibecession, with abundant sticker shock and negative media coverage. 

Rather than try to convince consumers they’re wrong, carriers should first validate their biases. 

And then do everything they can to say and do the opposite.  

It’s cathartic to kvetch, but it’s more important to be strategic. Once you’ve validated their biases, you have a better chance to reframe and redirect the conversation. 

Lesson #3: Feelings beat facts in the long run 

Not just one, but seven studies confirmed that people who make decisions based on feelings are more rigid in their defense of those feelings, especially over time. “What we document is a basic effect where deciding based on feelings seems to offer people more choice protection,” said Yale researcher Taly Reich.  

Emotions are automatic and unconscious. We can’t choose how we feel. Emotions color our worlds, opinions, and perceptions. And they’re as sticky as a broken jar of honey. 

When consumers feel the economy is depressed, distressed, or uncertain, there are no facts you can use to convince them otherwise. The same is true of consumer sentiment toward health insurance. 

Carriers need to fight feelings with feelings. Infuse your messaging with emotionally resonant words like “frustrating,” “thrilling,” “relaxing,” “satisfying,” etc. Get inside consumers’ heads to figure out what resonates most with them, not what you want them to know about you.  

One way to do this could be leaning into the feeling consumers want. For example, consumers want to feel like their carrier has their back, understands them, and cares about them—they want a feeling of trust. Carriers need to lean into security, empathy, integrity, and hope. Not in a way that ignores reality through spin but that instead reinforces credibility. In practice, this could be acknowledging a denial is frustrating and confusing and also providing a simple pathway to appeal it. 

Addressing consumers’ needs and achieving your business objectives are not mutually exclusive. You just need to find the right angle to approach both. 

Lesson #4: Repeat, repeat, repeat 

People perceive repeated information as more truthful because the more we hear something, the easier it is to process. When we hear again and again how bad the economy is from our friends, neighbors, family, coworkers, social media, and the mainstream media, it’s no wonder we believe it’s true. 

The more we hear about denied claims, delayed prior authorizations, network changes, and formulary disasters, the more we believe they are not just true but rampant.  

Here’s another truth: you can’t stop people from talking to each other, but you can put your consumers at the center of everything you do. That’s the Zappos effect.  

It’s not enough for you to repeat positive stories about yourself as a carrier. Members must repeat them too via word of mouth, social posts, and online reviews. The more you can surprise and delight your members, the more they’ll tell others, becoming promoters rather than detractors. 

Photo by Kostiantyn Li on Unsplash 

Lesson #5: We’re living in an affordability crisis 

Steven Pinker says humanity in 2025 is flourishing despite some setbacks. Yet my Spidey senses have been on high alert for half a decade now. One reason for the alert is the steep cost of living. Once-affordable cities like Denver, my forever home, have seen prices tick up and up to the point where previously comfortable locals now feel cash-strapped.  

Economics reporter Annie Lowrey explains how our price sensitivity got cranked up to 11, leading to an affordability crisis for our biggest expenses like healthcare and elder care. She says, “…we don’t have better health outcomes than other countries…we just literally pay more.” Consumers feel this most with out-of-pocket costs. They’re shouldering more of the costs with no Atlas shrug in sight. 

The word “patient” comes from the Latin for “bearing, supporting, suffering, enduring, permitting.” No wonder many consumers remain passive, letting healthcare happen to them—it’s right there in the name. 

Carriers can do more to educate and empower healthcare consumers to bring their savvy in other shopping realms to healthcare.  

SCAN Health gets the assignment 

The Medicare sea of sameness hits high tide during the Annual Election Period (AEP), October 15–December 7. SCAN Health’s 2026 AEP campaign is a master class in differentiation and meeting consumers where they are emotionally. Here’s how they nail every vibecession lesson. 

Lesson #1: The confusion is real 

Instead of denying it or doubling down on self-protection, SCAN Health says the quiet part out loud: health insurance is broken. This says to the consumer: your confusion isn’t your fault; it’s the industry’s fault. It’s unfair to expect you to overcome a gargantuan mess by yourself. That’s why we’re here to help you. 

Lesson #2: You can’t overcome confirmation bias 

Rather than combat bias, SCAN Health embraces it. Their video ad speaks to the inanity of a robot not being able to get your name right, the crazy-making experience of filling out forms with required, yet ambiguous, fields, and the quiet rage of being told your prescription isn’t covered. 

Lesson #3: Feelings beat facts in the long run 

SCAN Health’s campaign drips with emotion. Let me diagram the following sentence to show you how: “Let’s face it, sometimes trying to use your health plan can leave you guessing. From hidden costs to unclear coverage, it’s enough to make your head spin.” 

Lesson #4: Repeat, repeat, repeat 

Over the course of the ad, SCAN Health repeats its key messages: health insurance is broken, and we’re fighting to change it. They do it visually and verbally.  

Lesson #5: We’re living in an affordability crisis 

SCAN Health’s declaration of “people over profits” puts affordability front and center. It’s an implicit promise that they won’t increase prices to appease shareholders or cave to market pressures.  

Don’t misread me. My message isn’t to create a copy-cat campaign from the SCAN Health playbook, but to use these lessons as a framework to help you come at consumer relationships and marketing differently. How these lessons come to life should be unique to you as a carrier based on your mission, company values, key differentiators, and/or value proposition. If integrity is a core value, lean into that with radical transparency. If you’re known for your digital tools, double down to make them even better for members. 

If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help. Let’s start dreaming. 

Key takeaways 

I remember the first time I used ChatGPT. I had this weird sensation—a cross between seeing a ghost and free falling—as words magically appeared on the screen in response to my question. I imagine this is what it was like to see a light bulb turn on or hear a voice emerge from a telephone for the first time. Part unnatural, part amazing, part terrifying. 

I wondered if, as a writer, I am the 21st century version of a lamp lighter: soon to be displaced. But the more I use AI, the less I use it for writing. Call me a Luddite, stubborn, or inefficient. I don’t care. I know that writing is one of the best avenues for thinking, and nothing can replace that—especially not AI. 


Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash 

How I use AI 

I use Perplexity AI to help me research, ChatGPT and Claude as a thought partner, and Notebook LM to help me collate documents, organize notes, and audit content. I use AI as a first editor when I’m feeling uncertain or know I’ll get a lot of client feedback on something. I use it as an internal creative reviewer to poke holes and point out areas of opportunity. But I hardly ever use it to outline or draft my writing assignments because I prefer to do the work myself, which helps me do better work in the future. 

Why I don’t use AI to write 

When I applied to MFA programs, I had to explain why I write. It was such a basic question, yet it plagued me in its profundity. At first, I thought, “Well, I love books.” I wanted to do what the authors who wrote my favorite books did. I wanted to make people feel and think new things. It sounded trite. I couldn’t submit an essay about aspiring to be a copycat. 

The more I thought about it and tried to write about it—tried being the operative word—the more I landed on the truth. I wrote to discover. To discover what I thought, of course, but more so to discover the world around me. What made people tick. Why they said what they said. Why things happened. How they could be different.  

There is nothing more clarifying than attempting to write. I say this after 10+ years in therapy and practicing meditation. This is why journaling is such a powerful practice for writers and non-writers alike. If you really want to know what you think about something, write it out. I dare you. 

I’m a better content strategist because I also write the content I propose. I can see where my strategy faltered or where it was short-sighted once I get into the meat of a project. I can reorganize the outline for a better flow or cut a section because I unearthed something more important through an interview or in an early draft. 

Being a writer creates an inherent intimacy with the subject matter. It’s more concrete, less theoretical. It’s the difference between your idea of the project and the actual project.  

Your idea is always perfect because it’s only half-formed. Once you hit the hard reality of putting pen to paper or fingers on the keyboard, things inevitably change. That finished product isn’t perfect, but it’s more honest because you had to grapple with time, words, and the blinking cursor mocking your every letter. 

Maybe it’s naive on my part to want to hold on to the often-painful process of writing. I am, after all, a writer who loves having written (in the past tense). Often, I feel physically pained writing. My back aches, there’s little space between my ears and shoulders, my butt’s gone numb. There’s nothing more I want in that moment than to jump out of my skin. 

Yet I know the post-writing high that awaits. That weightless, anything-is-possible feeling of joy mixed with pride. My favorite thing is looking back at something I’ve written and not recognizing it as my own. “Oh wow,” I think, “I wrote that!”  

Photo by RDNE on Pexels 

Human creativity in the age of technology 

The more our tech-enabled world seems hellbent on eradicating friction, the more I want to double down on the hard things. Like relationships in all the ways: family, work, friends, romance. Like working out until there’s so much sweat dripping down my face, I can’t see anything. Like sewing by hand until my fingers cramp. Like writing. 

For now, I’m a better writer than AI (at least I think so 😬). It might not stay that way much longer, but there’s so much actual human writers bring to the table that AI doesn’t: lived experience, a distinct point of view, personal taste, idiosyncrasies. If everyone uses AI, we risk creating the language equivalent of oatmeal. And you can only ingest so much oatmeal. 

Doing my own writing helps me to better understand our clients’ businesses and their audiences. It gives me a chance to put myself in their shoes. My favorite part of my job is interviewing subject-matter experts to get information that’s only in their heads. (Until we all get Neuralink implants, it’s important to remember that the vast quantity of life hasn’t been digitized.)  

Often, interacting with experts and diving deep into projects sparks innovation. This is how I realized Medicare sales agents needed a better tool to match beneficiaries to the right plans for them. And how I realized agents with an average book of business of 500 don’t have enough hours in a week to onboard clients one on one; they need to onboard members at scale. 
 
I’m a firm believer that no creative work is ever wasted. It always leads you to the next draft or next project. All of the time and effort of research, interviews, and outlining goes back into the final deliverable. It’s like an iceberg; you only see the top 10%.

I’m dedicated to my craft. Maybe there will be a slow-writing movement in the future for marketing like the slow-food movement for agriculture. I’ve said before that I think human-made creations will be more valuable than AI-generated ones. That could turn out to be totally cringe and 100% wrong. 

But history proves the staying power of human-made creations in the face of technological change. People still weave by hand, still throw pots, still go to the theater. Yes, the number of people practicing these traditions and the audience for those creations might be smaller, but it’s less transactional and stickier. It’s more about connection. I’ll gamble on connection over speed every time. 

You might be surprised to learn that the U.S. has no official language. While English is the predominantly spoken language, nearly 68 million people (about twice the population of California) spoke a different language at home in 2019. This presents both a challenge and an opportunity, especially when it comes to accessibility, to create more in-language digital experiences. 

Brands can no longer rely on English-only digital channels because too much is at stake. In-language experiences open the door to increasing trust, brand credibility and loyalty, especially if you get the whole process right from the start. They help you stand out from your competition. Senior Digital Strategist Montanna Kehr said, “You can create a level of engagement that’s much richer and deeper.” That increased engagement can lead to increased revenue opportunities. As Montanna said, “You can expand your services, products, or audiences.” 

Crafting authentic and relevant in-language experiences takes time and effort. Here’s how brands can do it right. 

Aim for the Gold Standard from the Start 

Create an integrated, end-to-end experience 

You can’t take a one-and-done approach with in-language marketing. “You need to create in-language deliverables on a high-frequency basis so that you develop a cohesive experience that isn’t disjointed or siloed,” said Montanna. “You want it to feel thoughtful from end to end and part of your overall strategy.”  

Don’t Just Translate, Transcreate 

“Heinrich does transcreation very well—taking a deliverable and customizing it for the audience,” Montanna said. That means adjusting for cultural nuance as Lizzy Cassaro, Associate Director of Digital Strategy, explained, “We really dive into the culture and what the implications are in each language. That creates trust between the consumer and the brand.” You need help from native speakers who can help identify these cultural nuances and sensitivities in both the copy and design. For example, there are differences between U.S. Spanish, Caribbean Spanish and Castilian Spanish. Geography, ethnicity and more play a role. A seemingly innocuous image in one culture can have different meanings in another. Using an image of white flowers has a totally different context for Asian audiences. 

Personalization Means In-language  

Personalization isn’t just about tailoring topics and formats to a particular person. It also means delivering information in the audience’s language of choice. For some, that could be a single language. For others, it means toggling back and forth between two or more languages. When you give audiences a choice of languages, it’s the ultimate personalization. This is especially true with educational content. When people can learn in their preferred language, it’s going to resonate and stick with them better. Montanna said, “In the B2B world, you’ll see performance improve when your audience has in-language education.” 

Where to Start When Creating In-language Digital Experiences 

Audience Understanding 

“You need to understand your audience’s journey and their natural user flow,” Lizzy says. Answer key questions about your audience, as Lizzy detailed, “What’s the size of it? What are their demographics? What are their main interests?” Collate any data you do have, create surveys, do roundtable interviews, leverage outside research. “Gather insights from multiple sources,” Lizzy said. “Think about what you can test and optimize based on your data and previous efforts.” 

Identify Top Priorities and Opportunities 

Identify the core information and what’s most relevant to the audience. If you have multiple in-language audiences, your priorities and opportunities could change for each. You want to figure out where you can have the biggest impact on your audience in your time and budget constraints. 

Test and Learn 

Determine what you want to test and what you want to learn from the test in advance. That could be testing a learning from a roundtable or doing an A/B test on email subject lines. Your tests could be different for different audiences. As Montanna said, “Don’t be afraid to experiment in different ways for different audiences. The strategy doesn’t need to be a one-size-fits-all approach for each audience or language.” 

Connect the Dots Between Languages 

Earmark what only needs to be in English, what needs to only be in-language and what should be available in both English and another language. Ask yourself how everything works together. “There needs to be synergy between general-market materials and in-languages ones,” Montanna said. “You don’t want duplication or inconsistencies.” 

Use plain language as much as possible in English to make the translation process simpler. Remember that translations could be 20% longer or more. Brevity benefits you in another language. 

Where We’ve Seen In-language Success 

Centralized resource hubs 

Many brands have in-language tools and resources already, but their audience might be unaware of them. If you can deliver the entire ecosystem to them in a way that’s easy to digest, you tee them up for success while driving engagement. “We’ve seen in-language audiences have much higher time on page metrics with centralized hubs compared to general market pages,” Montanna said. 

Process is Paramount 

You’ll need to have a clear process with defined roles defined for everyone working on in-language deliverables. Be sure to revisit this process regularly to discuss what can be optimized and what needs to be rethought. You need to be much more dialed in. Pivots that are usually easy in English are harder when you don’t know the language you’re working in. You need all your process ducks in a row. 

Consider QA 

Quality assurance in a language other than your own is difficult. “Recognize you can’t do absolutely everything in another language. Lean into your translation partners and their native speakers,” said Montanna. This is especially true with character-symbol written languages like traditional Chinese or Korean. Responsive window sizes for mobile devices can pose issues with line breaks. Ask your translation partners to review mobile mockups and help identify where the correct line break should be. Don’t forget to proof multiple times. Proof and proof again internally and with your clients. 

Planning Considerations for In-language Digital Experiences 

Scale 

Recognize your in-language audience may be smaller than the general one. You may need to scale slowly over time. “Think about the bigger picture and setting a foundation that can help you in the long run,” said Montanna. “Take a crawl, walk, run approach as you learn what the audience needs.” You’ll also need to temper your expectations with a smaller audience. Montanna said, “Establish clear objectives and understand how your KPIs differ from the general market audience.” 

Complexity 

More languages mean more complexity and more time needed to handle that complexity. That complication can easily spill into the user experience if you aren’t paying attention. “You want to create a better experience for in-language audiences, not a more complicated one,” Montanna said. 

From a technological perspective, you may experience more complexity. You might run into functionality or automation limitations. Don’t just think about the static elements of your web property. Consider the interactive elements too. Have a taxonomy and an organized approach. You’ll want to examine everything from logins to footers, navigation bars to CTA buttons. Existing plugins may not support all languages. “There’s a lot on the backend that may be automated, so work with your developer closely to ensure everything is covered,” said Montanna. 

Ongoing Investment 

Understand that your investment is going to be continuous, and you’ll have to keep updating the information to stay relevant. You don’t want glaring discrepancies between the English experience and the in-language one. As Lizzy said, “Continue to nurture the in-language experience with new content over time.” 

Budget Realities 

Creating in-language experiences requires time and effort. The more languages you add, the more time and money you’ll need. A common pitfall is not accounting for added time in the process as in-language materials take more time to create. You may not be able to provide a one-to-one experience comparable to the English one for some time. Prioritize the essential information and channels and expand over time. “You’ll need to balance budgets with experimentation and continuously learn from the data,” Montanna said. You’ll also need to invest in the right partners. At Heinrich, we lean on our Hispanidad team and our translation partner, Cesco. 

Use AI Wisely 

New generative AI tools promise real-time translation, but the end results often leave much to be desired. Take the Hard Fork podcast. The hosts used Hey Gen, an AI-powered video tool that promises to dub videos using the speaker’s own in any language in minutes. While the results sounded plausible to non-native speakers, native speakers informed the hosts that what they thought was Hindi and German was in fact gobbledygook. “AI is a both/and opportunity. Test out the technology with an expert translator,” Lizzy said. When you use technology, you need to double-check the results with a native speaker. 

Born for Business—In Every Language 

Ready to expand your digital offerings in other languages? Heinrich can help. No matter what language you do business in, we can partner with you to solve today’s challenges so you can be a business hero tomorrow. Get in touch. 

Agencies sell people as much as they sell concepts. As a client, you only see and hear some of those people—your account team, creatives and strategists. You can think of them as the agency’s interface.  

Behind the scenes, there’s a slew of other people making sure the rest of the machine that is the agency works in harmony. The people that keep the agency humming by running the right things through the right pipes at the right time and speed are project managers or PMs. They are your secret to getting your work done on time and on budget without gumming up the system.  

Even if you don’t ever interact with them as a client, you should make sure your agency has a PM team in place. Here’s why. 

Organization and alignment 

Some see “process” as a dirty word, but process is meant to streamline tasks and organize people. Yes, the creative process can be messy, but an agency needs order to deliver an ever-increasing number of deliverables efficiently while keeping the lights on.  

An agency’s PM team helps establish swim lanes for different roles. When an agency has a PM team, everyone benefits internally and externally: 

A well-oiled machine makes agency work more fun because people get to focus on what they do best rather than try to manage things outside their area of expertise. 

Budget and timeline oversight 

As a client, you want your work done as quickly and cost effectively as possible. PMs are your best ally in this goal. They explain what is feasible rather than over-promise and under-deliver. A PM won’t promise anything the agency can’t deliver.  

Once you communicate your goals, expectations and budgets, the PM team will assess what the agency can reasonably deliver within those parameters. That’s good for you overall because you’ll be less likely to find yourself in a pickle you can’t get out of down the line. PMs ensure your project is well-run by being accountable to you, your timelines and budgets.  

If you ever need something on a different timeline or budget than what a PM proposes, that’s when the negotiation should begin—ideally before any work begins so we can adjust accordingly. After all, we’re all on the same team and want to do right by the work.   

Collaboration and communication 

PMs help various agency teams—account, digital, print, creative, resourcing, studio, leadership—work together as a cohesive unit.  

PMs must be personable and able to communicate in any situation, even difficult ones. PMs aren’t meant to babysit people or projects but rather to keep them on track, within timelines and on budget.  

To do that, PMs communicate early and often. PMs even communicate after work is done to find out what worked well and what needs to adjust for the next time. It’s an iterative process and one we strive to constantly improve. 

Born for business 

At Heinrich, we create work that gets results for our clients. Our PM team is integral in that effort. We know how each deliverable gets made and what it takes to make it. The hours it takes a copywriter to land on the perfect brand name or the time it takes to develop the right co-branding effort.  

We know how to plan and budget for your top priorities. Contact us to see what we can do for you. 

When you think of video production, you probably imagine Hollywood or Times Square. It’s only natural to see Los Angeles and New York City as go-to video production hubs. L.A.’s where I got my start in video production. Over nine years of working as production assistant to production manager to producer. It’s where I learned the ropes. But I found my community in Colorado. It’s smaller and more niche and why I’ve fallen in love with the family-feel of local production. I hope you will too. 

Why You Should Shoot Your Next Video Locally

Heinrich’s clients span the country, but we’re based in Denver. If we’re able to shoot and edit your video here, we can save you time and money, two things marketing executives never have enough of. The in-person interaction of being on location and even side-by-side with an editor in the edit bay cannot be replicated virtually.  

We can also take a hybrid approach to save on time or costs. For example, we could work with a crew who is local to your business, fly out for the shoot and then complete the post-production here in Colorado. This helps us maximize your dollars by keeping the heart of the production local. We adapt based on your needs and what’s best for your project.  

Why You Should Consider Colorado for Your Next Video Production

As I said earlier, Colorado’s video production community is like a family. It’s collaborative and generous, full of camaraderie you won’t find in larger production hubs where individuals and production companies can come across as cutthroat. In Colorado, we realize that there’s plenty of work to go around and someone else’s success isn’t our failure. The talent here is top notch and full of people who came from larger hub cities like me. We’ve only continued to enhance our skills and capabilities, and we’re helping each other to do that. 

Because Colorado is such a beautiful state, we have so many shooting potentials, whether in nature or in the cities. Our climate means we can shoot in all four seasons, which opens even more creative avenues for storytelling. Our square state means exponential possibility for your video’s visuals.   

Last, Colorado sits practically in the exact middle between four production hubs: L.A. on the West Coast to New York on the East Coast; Vancouver in the north and Louisiana in the south. That’s why so much talent has moved here and why we have state-of-the-art studios for green-screen production and animation. 

Colorado-based Production Partners We Love

Our creative team has dreamed up just about every kind of video that can possibly be made whether it’s two- or three-dimensional animation or a documentary-style profile and everything in between. We collaborate with local production partners to bring our ideas to life. Here are some of the local talents we work with and why we love them. 

Best Practices for Local Video Production

First, having a working knowledge of video production is critical. Inside major hubs, video production is just part of that city’s culture—people just know more, even those who don’t directly work in the video industry. Outside those hubs, however, the working knowledge is much lower, and that’s OK. That’s what your agency is for. When you get into video projects for the first time, there’s a steep learning curve. There’s so much that goes into making even a 15-second video: storyboards, talent, music, locations, heavy machinery, multiple crews. There’s a lot to be mindful of—it’s not as simple as using your phone—which is why having the right agency partner is so important. As the director of video production, it’s my job to ensure clients know how video works, and video production is like a four-dimensional puzzle in space and time. 

Next, do what’s right for your specific video project. At Heinrich that means doing what’s in the best interest of our clients and the creative approach. Every video is different. Maybe that means filming on a smartphone. The cameras and capabilities get better all the time. Still, a great video producer will take it to the next level and make sure the subject is mic’d properly to capture the best sound. Maybe we’re shooting something original or creating animated illustrations with recorded audio. We always come back to what’s best for the client and the work. 

Something that’s easy to overlook is safety, but it’s essential. Video production can be a dangerous job— there’s heavy machinery, electricity, cords everywhere, long hours, back-to-back days—it’s all too easy to get hurt when people get sleepy or hot or an accident happens. Producers keep everyone safe, well fed and rested. It’s a key part of setting up the production right from the start. 

Heinrich’s Approach

We believe in supporting our local talent and economy. It’s why we continue to advocate for state film tax incentives to both support our local production companies and freelance filmmakers and spur economic activity. Film production doesn’t just support the film industry, it supports caterers, drivers, construction, you name it. These film projects can generate millions of dollars in revenue for the state and create jobs too. We’ve lost out on major projects to neighboring states like Arizona, Utah and Wyoming because our incentives as so small. That’s why I’ve picketed at the state capitol and why I’ll continue to keep this goal close to my heart. 

We’re also a kind and collaborative partner to our clients and our production vendors. For example, I worked in video production as a freelancer, so I understand where our freelancers come from. Our agency treats people with fairness and kindness while keeping our clients’ best interests in mind. Another example of our kindness in action was during the pandemic, which suddenly halted a majority local video production. We signed the Creator Alliance, a statewide initiative to keep agency and brand video production local. It meant a lot to the community and to me personally. 

See It to Believe It

This reel gives you a quick round up of our projects overall in healthcare, finance, retail, government and more. We have so many amazing video projects I could talk about, so I’ll just mention a few of my recent favorites and give you a deeper dive.  

Humana Alliance Partnership 

We worked with Humana and our production partner Lumenati to feature the stories of three members: Linda, Georgette and Margo. We pulled back the curtain on the production at the beginning of the video, which added an extra layer of intimacy with the viewer. You see the crew adjusting mics and helping the members get settled. Then we get to know these women and how Humana and their agents helped connect them to doctors who really understand, listen and care for them as people—not just as patients.  

Kroger holiday gift card spots 

I love how fun these holiday spots are with their word play and animations. Our creative director, Rob McPhee, creates the majority of the visuals and illustrations himself. “Smokin’ hot” with a smoker grill for Father’s Day. With heart-shaped drones and hot air balloons, love is literally in the air for Valentine’s Day. Steaming cups of cocoa, coffee, cider and the notorious pumpkin spice latte make fall feel cozy. 

Wyoming Governor’s Council on Impaired Driving (GCID) 

Our creative team came up a campaign for the Wyoming GCID this summer built around double meanings of familiar phrases often associated with drinking and drugs like One for the Road, Killer Combo and Bottoms Up. The ads feature three-dimensional animation by Friends of Mine that puts the viewer in the driver’s seat to show the natural consequences of driving impaired—blurred vision, swerving on the road, red and blue flashing police lights, a rollover crash. We designed this show-don’t-tell approach for the strong-willed, independent thinkers of Wyoming instead of finger wagging them.  

Whether you’re trying to tell individual stories, spread some cheer or save lives, we’ll help you craft a video that packs a punch creatively and commercially. We don’t just make cool videos; we make videos that advance your goals and objectives. Because we’re born for business. 

What was old has a way of becoming new again. The oldest form of mass media communication—audio—continues to resurge through music streaming and podcasting. More on-demand audio content than ever before also means more advertising opportunities for brands to be in audiences’ ears and on their minds. 

Why Audio is Having a Moment

The rise of technology has breathed new life into audio. Better, less expensive recording equipment has democratized the broadcasting experience. What used to take full-fledged production teams now can be done in a living room. On the audience side, smartphones mean virtually endless content options for any type of music or podcast on demand, on the go and for free. The ultimate time hack, audio makes it possible for audiences to do two things at once: exercise and listen, do chores and listen, drive and listen. 

So many options mean there’s something for everyone, whether you’re into history, economics, wellness or dating podcasts or jazz, Afro futurism, folktronica or musical theater. That competitive landscape for audiences’ attention demands higher quality content that stands out.  

The overall experience of streaming music and podcasts is better too. Gone are the days of 5-minute radio ad breaks. With only one or two ads per break now, they aren’t so painful, which means audiences listen. And because they’re more relevant to the content and/or the audience, the audience is more likely to listen as I’ll explain next. 

Why Audio Advertising Works

Today’s audio occurs mostly through headphones whether audiences are listening at home or on the go. That’s just about as intimate an experience as you can have with advertising: the sound isn’t just in your ears, it’s in your head. This intimacy makes it feel less like mass communication and more like one-to-one communication. It’s highly personal, like the message is only for you and you alone. That kind of emotional connection packs a powerful punch.  

Let’s talk numbers next.  

Like other digital media channels, streaming apps and podcasts offer advertisers multiple targeting options from demographics and geographies to language targeting, consumer behaviors and mindsets and lookalike and predictive audiences. The rich first-party data of in-app listening enables advertisers to layer campaigns with relevance. If cookies ever go away, this first-party data will become increasingly important. With audio advertising, you have a chance to get the right message in front of the right audience effectively at a low cost. 

How to Make Your Audio Ads Stand Out

Knowing your audience is king in advertising, whether you’re creating video or audio spots. If you can’t appeal to your audience, you can’t get your message across. Because audio is an especially intimate medium, it’s vital to make those ads personal (for example, referencing local landmarks or cultural events.)  

But don’t think audio is sound only. Many apps offer the option of display banners or full video interstitials that run when a user interacts with their device. Compelling visuals can help tell your brand story while capturing the eyes and imaginations of your listeners. An immersive brand experience can also help you differentiate your brand from other audio advertisers. 

Finally, get creative with how you tell audio stories. You don’t always need a host to read a spot or to hire a voice actor. For example, Heinrich worked with the Wyoming Department of Transportation and the Wyoming Governor’s Council on Impaired Driving for a summer 2023 campaign to end impaired driving called One for the Road. The campaign turns common drinking phrases on their head to show the perils of driving while impaired. 

Rather than lecture listeners about drinking and driving dangers, our creative team put listeners directly into a real-life story told through sound effects: a bartender’s last call, the clinking of glasses, a key fob unlocking a car, the engine’s turnover, radio playing country music and, finally, a crash. With hardly any words, we conveyed the negative, natural consequences of impaired driving. And it worked. The ads garnered 1.5 million completed listens, that’s the number of times the ad played from start to finish, not just a partial play. That campaign was born for business—in this case, the business of changing minds and saving lives. It shows the power of rethinking a legacy medium for today’s technologies and audiences. 

Marketing efforts are more scrutinized today than ever. There are also more channels than ever before. There’s a paradox at play: more risk, but more opportunity too. Brands need to know how to build the right strategy to meet consumers in the right places at the right times to move the needle. To do that as effectively and efficiently as possible, brands need an agency partner with omnichannel expertise.

What Omnichannel Marketing is and Why it Matters to Your Brand

Omnichannel marketing makes the best use of all available channels to connect with consumers on their journeys. It combines traditional and digital marketing into a holistic approach based on consumer needs and business objectives. It examines which channels are best at different points in the consumer journey for an integrated campaign. With an integrated campaign, each channel and consumer touchpoint reinforce the others so you can maximize your efforts, budget and results.

Today’s channel landscape is constantly changing, especially on the digital side. There’s always a new platform to join or features to explore. Brands can’t take a one-size-fits-all or check-the-box approach to channels. Each campaign needs to start with the consumer journey, data and business objectives. Once you have these outlined, you can build a custom omnichannel strategy that elevates your brand and your products or services.

Why Brands Need Agencies with Omnichannel Expertise

As the marketing channel ecosystem continues to fragment, it can be tempting to piecemeal campaigns across different channel-specific agencies. However, that can create a fragmented, inconsistent consumer experience with different agencies working in silos or even at cross purposes. The best way to maintain brand and messaging consistency is with a single agency who has deep omnichannel knowledge and proven results.

With a holistic plan under a single agency, brands get a global view of their efforts and are better positioned to connect the dots on their campaign and customer data. They can better optimize the entire plan instead of just its legs. Rather than start from a channel point of view, brands can start from the consumer’s point of view to create an overarching strategy. It’s about giving consumers what they need and want, which creates better relationships, while achieving business objectives.

What to Look for in an Omnichannel Agency Partner

It goes without saying that an omnichannel agency partner needs to be an expert in both traditional and digital channels. They need to have the diversity of expertise and experience to pull the campaign off. Here’s what to look for.

Data Expertise and Insights

Without insights or cohesive narrative, data is just a bunch of numbers. Brands have more data than ever at their fingertips, yet most don’t know how to unlock the narratives buried inside it, whether that’s demographic, financial or engagement data. Your omnichannel agency partner should be able to examine all the data you have and provide even more context and understanding with third-party data-service providers. They should be able to humanize the data to uncover consumer mindsets and behavior patterns. How do they feel? What makes them tick? How do they shop? Brands need an agency partner who can help them think through their data and bring an outside perspective to it too.

Rooted in Strategy

It’s easy to just start making and deploying things. With an omnichannel approach, you first need to step back to move forward. Omnichannel agencies should be experts at marrying consumer needs with business goals. They should take deep, ongoing dives into the industry category, business model, specific brand and consumers. From here, they can develop a solid strategic framework that ties everything together. This level of deep understanding is like a tree’s taproot. The campaign strategy becomes the tree trunk, and the channels the branches. Without deep roots, the whole tree crashes to the ground.

Measurement, Attribution, Evaluation and Testing Capabilities

Omnichannel agency partners must be able to prove their effectiveness. They need to know how they will measure the plan’s objectives and which metrics are the best to do so. They need to be able to successfully attribute increases in reach and revenue to their efforts. They need to know not only what’s working or not but why and how to optimize moving forward. They need to be able to effectively test which elements of a plan work best.

Born for Business in Theory and Practice

It’s one thing to talk about omnichannel strategy and another to execute it. At Heinrich, we do both. We’re passionate students of our clients’ businesses and dedicated to building relationships that last. We take the time to dig in to understand our clients, their goals and their consumers’ needs. We have the processes and tools to bring everything together, from strategy to execution, deployment to evaluation. We lead our clients with an eye toward the future. At Heinrich, we don’t just do work that’s creative; we do work that gets results. That’s why we’re born for business—your business.

#marketingstrategy #marketingagency

Traditional marketers might feel like digital is devouring everything. Maybe you’re a direct-mail marketer with your elbows out, “Digital has no business in the mailbox.”

But at Heinrich, we realize it’s not either traditional or digital—it’s a both/and. A hybrid approach can help you take the best of both realms to achieve your objectives more efficiently and effectively, even when it comes to your control package. Here’s how.

The QR Code Comeback

QR codes, once dead in many a marketer’s eyes, have not only been revived, but they’ve also taken over previously analog spaces and places. QR codes are how many restaurants share their menus, PowerPoint presenters promote their websites and social media profiles and even how drag queens earn Venmo tips.

According to eMarketer, the number of U.S. smartphone users scanning QR codes will increase to 99.5 million in 2025. It isn’t just younger smartphone users who have taken to scanning, older consumers have too; 44% of U.S. consumers aged 45–64 and 31% aged 65 and older report using marketing QR codes.

Three Reasons Why You Should Test QR Codes on Your Direct-Mail Control Package

Reason 1: Access to data

Data, as the technologists say, is the new oil. The companies who understand how to collect and leverage their data will be better positioned to capture more market share today and especially tomorrow.

While direct mail can be a great way to stand out in someone’s mind and mailbox, measurement and attribution can be difficult, especially if your call to action requires more friction or legwork on behalf of your audience like filling out a form and mailing it back. Adding a QR code for a call to action can help you better track audience actions and make it faster and easier for them to complete that call to action.

Reason 2: Increased Personalization

You can take your QR code a step further by creating a customized code and personalized URL for every recipient. Here’s an example using our President, George Eddy.

  1. George receives Heinrich’s direct-mail piece.
  2. He scans the custom QR code, which takes him to Heinrich.com/GeorgeEddy.
  3. He’s greeted with a personalized message, “Hey there, George!”
  4. The form fill is pre-populated with his contact information and asks him to correct and/or complete any incorrect or missing information.

Of course, you’ll need to thoroughly vet your mailing list ahead of time to find any duplicate names. You wouldn’t want to mix up two John Smiths.

Moving from a handwritten form fill to a digital form fill also alleviates work and reduces costs for your business. No longer will your staff waste precious time deciphering illegible handwriting. You can transition your data-entry employees to more meaningful work.

Reason 3: Retargeting opportunities

Using a direct-mail-to-web strategy gives you more chances to increase your direct mail campaign’s effectiveness. You can continue to retarget your direct-mail audience online via online ads and/or emails. Your media budget will dictate the number of touches.

  1. You match the physical addresses on your direct-mail list (your owned or purchased mailing list) to people-based digital identifiers such as LiveRamp or RampIDs.
  2. Devices tied to those digital IDs receive paid digital media such as display or video ads.
  3. These ads can then drive your audience to a standard landing page with an online form.

When you combine traditional and digital marketing, you’re cooking your direct-mail campaign with gas. You’ll gain the first-party data you need to make smarter business decisions, and you’ll make it easier for your audience to engage with you and you’ll be able to increase the efficacy of your marketing. In sum, integrated marketing plans that combine online and offline tactics do better than siloed efforts.

Heinrich is born for business—and your direct-mail campaign. That’s how we were able to beat our control package for a credit card offer 12 times with one test boosting Gross Revenue Retention by 24% through an estimated 1,400 incremental accounts. Let’s talk to see how we can beat your direct-mail control package again and again.


Naysayers have been saying it for years: direct mail is dead. The truth shows that direct-mail advertising is more robust than ever thanks to creative and technological advancements. That’s why an agency’s print department is a microcosm for wider agency trends as I’ll explain below. 

Trend #1: Start with Strategy

Strategy should drive all campaigns and tactics. In direct mail, strategy helps us know who to target when and how with the best formats and creative applications. Here are four examples: 

  1. Credit cards: Put an image of the credit card (personalized with the recipient’s name) on the package to help them imagine what it will be like to have the card in their hands. 
  1. Business recipients respond better to a letter package than a postcard or self-mailer. 
  1. Consumers during the holidays love invitation-style envelopes with stamps. 
  1. Mail that feels more emotional and tactile drives the urge to open it: 
  1. Handwritten fonts that look more personal 
  1. Soft-touch envelopes with a velvety feel 
  1. Gloss UV coatings that shine and catch the light 
  1. Embossed papers add sophistication and texture 
  1. Perforations make it easy—and irresistible—to open 

Trend #2: Data-Driven Plans and Results  

It’s no secret that data dictates marketing dollars. What may not be as intuitive is that data drives direct mail too.  

Today, direct mail campaigns are more microtargeted which means they’re more effective. We can tailor campaigns to highly local geographies or to extremely limited audiences based on past consumer behavior. For example, we can pinpoint the 50 people in a 5-mile radius who bought a boat in the past month and target them with products and services for their new boat. This kind of hyper-personalized, hyperlocal targeting means you’re spending your direct mail dollars more wisely so you can get better results. 

Direct mail holds the top position among channels for average return on investment (ROI) at 43% according to the most recent Response Rate Report from the Association of National Advertisers. Almost three-quarters of marketers agree that direct mail offers the best ROI. Proof-points like these explain why direct mail should have a place in every major campaign. 

Trend #3: What’s Old is New Again 

Overflowing mailboxes used to be a daily occurrence nationwide in the not-too-distant past. Now our email inboxes and social feeds overflow. To stand out, businesses increasingly turn to direct mail regardless of their audience demographics. Here’s why: 

As one of the oldest marketing channels, print too often gets overlooked in favor of digital channels. But much of innovation involves seeing the past with fresh eyes. The brands and agencies who know how to re-imagine direct mail and use it effectively as an anchor channel see higher results. 

Trend #4: Technological Innovation and Integration

Technology accelerates productivity and creativity. What used to take weeks in direct mail, now takes days. Digital proofs, more efficient production and new capabilities mean we have more opportunities than ever before to stand out in the mailbox with less time and money. 

Developing fully integrated campaigns that use both print and digital drive better results. In a survey commissioned by the U.S. Post Office, 60% of marketing respondents said combining digital and direct mail increases ROI. Don’t just take the marketers’ word for it: 56% of consumers tried a new business in the last six months because they got mail about it. 

With Informed Delivery and interactive calls to action like QR codes, the lines between the physical and digital worlds continue to blur—which works. Here are the stats that prove Informed Delivery pays off: 

Trend #5: A Can-do Attitude 

As business needs and consumer habits evolve, so have Heinrich’s print department and our skills. When we were founded, we focused primarily on direct mail for financial services, completing 18-million-piece runs with 30+ different versions. Now we also work in verticals like healthcare and multi-family real estate, which require different deliverables. For healthcare, we create fulfillment packages like sales enablement kits for insurance agents to host events-in-a-box. We develop high-end collateral pieces to woo and awe potential renters in multi-family real estate. 

We’re yes people who are solutions oriented and always looking for faster, more cost-effective ways to produce the ideas our creative department dreams up. We experiment, we test, we learn—and we know that what worked yesterday may not work tomorrow. As such, we stay up on cutting-edge trends and technologies. 

Whether we’re making pop-up coupons for Macy’s inspired by their iconic parade, delivering human resource-department kits for a Kroger’s check cashing campaign or sending salt lamps to Medicare insurance agents to enhance provider affinity while improving personal well-being, we always champion innovation and impact. Because we’re born for business, which means we’re driven by results.