• by Les Luchter , September 25, 2025

Fourteen years after its beginnings in the wake of passage of the Affordable Care Act, Covered California -- that state’s health insurance marketplace -- has launched what it’s calling its first-ever brand campaign.

The effort is massive, designed to deal with what a press release terms “a time when federal changes to health care coverage are causing significant changes for Californians, making it even more essential to provide clear and helpful information around health insurance, health care and open enrollment.”

That open enrollment period starts Nov. 1 and runs through Jan. 31, but Covered California’s campaign -- titled “For the Love of Californians” -- is already well underway. It kicked off earlier this month, and is using such media as broadcast TV, streaming TV, YouTube, Meta, streaming music, podcast and outdoor.

And Covered California’s campaign is designed to cover all Californians. “Look at us all. Every color.  Every shade. Every stripe. Sixty countries in one state, and the music of 200 languages,” begins the audio of a highly diverse :90 video from  WPP’s VML agency while visuals show such real people as market workers, single parents, couples, lowrider owners and basketball players.  “We believe every single Californian deserves healthcare that works.” (There’s also a :30 version.)

The inclusion doesn’t end with those two English-language spots.

VML has partnered with two multicultural agencies, Sensis (for Hispanic, African American, and LGBTQ+ audiences) and IPG’s IW Group (for Asian American Pacific Islander audiences, and to also create ad content in Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, Vietnamese, Tagalog, Hmong, Hindi and Punjabi.)

"Besides individuals, the campaign is targeting business owners with under 100 employees,” Covered California tells Marketing Daily.

“Informed by extensive research, the brand campaign is aimed at building understanding and trust in Covered California,” we’re told in an email. “It is step one in our approach to move from seasonal campaigns to an always on approach, so we meet Californians where they are year-round in service of our mission to help more Californians get insured, access high-quality, affordable care, and make informed choices -- ultimately reducing disparities and empowering people to live healthier, fuller lives.”

In addition to the enrollment period-centered brand campaign, which will be measured through brand lift and sentiment studies, Covered California will be running a “lower level” year-round campaign ”in support of consumers who have a qualifying life event that makes them newly eligible for health insurance,” per the email.

“By building awareness throughout the state and reaching people through their communities, by the time Open Enrollment opens Nov. 1, the people and businesses who can benefit from Covered California will be armed with the information they need to make a solid decision,” says the press release.