Animal Ad Campaign Sparks Controversy

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has launched a new ad campaign featuring scapegoats for rising healthcare costs. The print ads and commercials have goats dressed in shirts with the tag line, "let's stop looking for scapegoats." Creators of the campaign home the message will indicate that insurers, doctors, hospitals, consumers, and anyone associated with healthcare should look to reduce healthcare costs.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina has launched a new ad campaign featuring scapegoats. The print ads and commercials have goats dressed in shirts with the tag line, "let's stop looking for scapegoats."

Creators of the campaign hope the message will indicate that insurers, doctors, hospitals, consumers, and anyone associated with healthcare should look to reduce healthcare costs.

"Consumers are incredibly skeptical of Blue Cross," says Adam Linker, a policy analyst at the N.C. Justice Center's Health Access Coalition in a recent News & Observer article. "Blue Cross is going to have to be part of the solution, but when they hear Blue Cross talking about cost control, they worry it means Blue Cross is trying to keep more money for itself."

The ad campaign that tackles the subject of healthcare cost head-on was created by Capstrat, a Raleigh public relations and marketing firm.

For more information about the ad campaign, click here to view the discussion.