An Oregon-based ad agency has been generating national attention for its ads promoting Cover Oregon, The Beaver State’s the version of an Obamacare health insurance marketplace.
The generally pointless ads cost taxpayers $3 million, reports Fox News. They feature ostensibly catchy musical numbers and have sort of a hipster, granola, outdoorsy vibe. They offer no clue what they are about until the very end, when the words “Cover Oregon” appear on the screen along with a website. One version of the ad also bothers to list a phone number.
Now, North, the Portland-based agency, wants high school marching bands to play a song called “Live Long in Oregon.” There’s a contest involved.
The point of asking high school bands to play the Obamacare anthem is to create more attention for Cover Oregon.
It’s not clear if the ad agency has asked the high school bands to play pro-Obamacare songs at football games or at other venues.
A primary reason the ads have generated national buzz is because they fail to provide any detail whatsoever concerning the Affordable Care Act.
Amy Fauver, Cover Oregon’s senior marketing manager, discussed the issue at a media briefing.
“We’ve heard the criticism that those ads don’t tell people enough what Cover Oregon is,” she said.
Fauver said she is confident that the detail-free ads are causing Oregon residents to visit the Cover Oregon website. She also noted that a call center in Salem received 500 calls on Monday.
The population of Oregon is about 3.9 million.
Fauver also noted that there are three additional ads which offer somewhat more detail. They explain that Obamacare offers healthcare insurance for people with preexisting conditions and give some idea of how to use and pay for the new federally-funded healthcare exchange.
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