Reward and Benefits | Project
28 Aug, 2025 ยท 5 -minute read

Healthcare client

When our client realized their people weren't fully engaging with their benefits, the Benefits team didn't just tweak the message—they rebuilt the experience. Together with Gallagher, they launched a bold new benefits brand and annual enrollment campaign that helped employees see their benefits in a new light.

This organization offered strong benefits—comprehensive medical plans, robust voluntary options and a wide array of resources designed to support the physical, mental and financial wellbeing of an employee's life. Despite that, engagement in benefits was lower than hoped. Internal feedback made it clear: most employees didn't fully understand the full breadth of resources available to them, and even fewer felt compelled to explore their options.

And the data backs it up. Utilization across several core plans was underwhelming, and it was clear employees were leaving value on the table.

The reason? The existing campaign materials felt generic and fell flat. They blended into the visuals that employees were used to in the workplace. Functionally, they delivered the core messages, but not in a way employees wanted to see them.

The team knew they needed a shift. Not just a better and more engaging design, but a new way to spark curiosity and year-round interest in the benefits the organization offered.
1 The Challenge

Gallagher partnered with the organization's Benefits team to craft a strategy shaped by employee behavior and brought to life through bold, human-centered design. We knew we needed to make an impact—not by shouting louder, but by saying something that mattered.

We explored a full range of creative directions, from "mild to wild," to strike the right balance between brand alignment and fresh energy. The team landed on a clean, vibrant design that introduced new graphic elements, a custom color palette inspired by the region's identity and a tone that felt personal, without being soft.
2 The Solution
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Further, the content invited employees to see benefits not as a checklist or an annual chore, but as real decisions with everyday impact.

From there, we built a full suite of campaign materials and delivered 43 branded assets in 15 weeks,
each one designed to stand out, resonate and inspire self-reflection. We also created a benefits brand style guide, giving the client a toolkit to maintain consistency and continue evolving the benefits brand beyond annual enrollment.

The refreshed brand identity didn't just look better—it worked better. Employees engaged. They enrolled. And, most importantly, they paid attention.

Across core plan offerings, the organization saw a meaningful shift from 2024 to 2025:

  • Supplemental Life enrollment increased by 17%
  • Spouse Life jumped by 27%
  • Child Life rose by 15%
  • Voluntary benefits outperformed industry benchmarks by 3—7 points, including:
    • Critical Illness: 15.7% (vs. 12.4% national average)
    • Accident: 15.7% (vs. 10.7% national average)
    • Hospital Indemnity: 15.5% (vs. 8.6% national average)
3 The Outcome and Why it Worked

But, beyond the metrics, the campaign sparked connection.

One employee shared how a home mailer affected her and her husband. The piece featured a candid photo of a father smiling at his toddler, mid-laugh. It was a small moment but one that hit home.

"He couldn't get over that photo," she said. "The fact that you used a photo of a man simply grinning and snuggling his young son—it made my husband stop, fall silent, review the material. He loved it and wants to see more compelling images and materials just like that."

That kind of feedback is the exact reason for the campaign. It was the result of a strategy built around real moments with real people who make real decisions. And it was clear: Employees show up when they see themselves in the message.

When employees don't feel like the message is relevant, they tune out. This campaign flipped that dynamic—helping people understand not just what benefits they had, but why the benefits mattered.

By blending clear information with thoughtful design and human-centered storytelling, the organization didn't just check the box on annual enrollment. It reframed how employees experience benefits—creating a platform for year-round engagement, connection and trust.