Marketing communication: principles and practice

C O M M U N I C A T I O N S T R A T E G I E S A N D O B J E C T I V E S
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CASE STUDY 15
VHI SAYS GO FOR IT!
a
October 1999 saw the launch of the five-year VHI Says Go For It lifestyles education
programme in Ireland. With a total budget of £1,560,000 this is a serious effort to position
VHI as Ireland’s champion of healthy lifestyles.
The Dublin-based Voluntary Health Insurance Board (An Bord Árachais Sláinte
Shaorálaigh) (VHI for short) was established in the 1950s as a not-for-profit service to
encourage Irish residents to become more self-reliant in providing for their healthcare
needs. Their market monopoly was ended by legislation in 1994. Today, VHI has 1.43 million
members, including 6,500 group schemes (this is 40 per cent of the Irish population, whereas
only 11 per cent have opted for private insurance in the UK!). A further 1,000 people are
joining the VHI membership every week, with an average age of 28 years. The defection
rate (to competing healthcare insurance schemes, such as BUPA) is only 1 per cent. VHI
strongly support community rating, in which all members pay the same premium irrespective
of age, as an alternative to the UK’s risk-rated premiums that increase as the member gets
older. Income in 1999–2000 was around £400m.
The VHI Says Go For It brand is being developed through a series of lifestyle education
programmes, targeting the five life stages, and based on national and international research
and sound medical advice, that promote a positive, practical and light-hearted approach to
healthy living. The brand is to be incorporated into all communication strategies, and will
be an important asset in positioning VHI as an innovative provider of integrated healthcare
products that meet all members’ healthcare needs. VHI Says Go For It will be the focused
vehicle for:
BOX 15.5