“Initially I started working with Mythic Proportions to develop a logo and a website. That is what I thought I was missing as I talked with my publisher about establishing my ‘personal brand’ while marketing my upcoming book.”
– Marshall Allen
Marshall Allen is an independent investigative journalist for ProPublica, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, and an adjunct professor at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism (City University of New York). He is a keynote speaker across the country.
Marshall is known for his health care industry expertise and his tenacious ability to expose the layers of deceit that take advantage of consumers pre & post-care.
The challenge was to provide unique insights about the client who knows himself best. Marshall is a confident and driven journalist (with a strong sense-of-self). He’s spent most of his time doing the day-to-day investigative fact-finding and hadn’t invested as much time articulating why he did this particular work. This provided really fertile ground for our collaboration and discovery.
The key was to guide Marshall to view his work from a different perspective and focus on his why rather than his what. Marshall continues to open the aperture of offerings expanding his articles, books, video, curriculum and other content by putting his purpose at the center of all he does.
Insight 1:
Competition
The status quo.
Medical bills.
Assumed professional expertise and authority.
The nightly news.
Insight 2:
Core Audience
The Caretaker of the family (often the mother).
Insight 3:
Personality
Marshall is a Reformer.
He champions the underdog and the cause of the downtrodden.
He seeks freedom through justice for working families who desire to stay healthy and are encumbered by a system designed to take advantage of them.
Marshall offers hope that liberation from exploitation is possible.
He provides inspiration for the bravery necessary to resist the status quo and resources to stand up to injustice.
Insight 4:
Cultural Insights
Over 90% had health insurance in the US (since early 2019— Pre-Covid)
Nearly 50% of working Americans (Ages 21-65) receive employer-sponsored health care
Health benefits cost $15k per employee in 2020 with employer health care plan costs continuing to rise
35% of employees admit they don’t understand their health insurance benefits
“As a journalist and a writer I had a pretty solid sense of my voice and who I am as a writer, but Mythic Proportions surprised me with new insights and exercises that helped me articulate myself and the reason behind the work I do as an investigative journalist.”
– Marshall Allen
“The strategic work helped set the stage to evaluate the creative work that followed. But it did more than that. Those insights helped me see how my offering is my archetypal reason-for-being. That gave me permission to take chances and make tough choices. They said it best when they told me: Marshall’s reputation is the brand. Marshall’s expertise is the product. Marshall’s book is one of many tools he offers his audience.”
– Marshall Allen
With the momentum and positive feedback of his first book, Marshall was asked to create a curriculum to further equip and empower consumers to make better health care decisions. We then developed a GTM strategy that prioritized Marshall’s expertise as his core offering to consumers to extend his brand into other consumer-first resources, introducing Allen Health Academy.
Our team developed a plan to conduct independent consumer research with a focus group aggregating numerous data points (both qualitative and quantitative). Our analysis revealed insights connecting consumers emotionally to pain points they experience when interacting with the health care system. This discovery of insights helped validate a market need, establish pricing and create exceptional value for all consumers— from individual patients, employers, medical professionals, and health advisors/brokers.
Deliverables
Brand Strategy
Creative Direction
Identity Design
Copywriting
Marketing
Campaign Strategy
Web Design
Social Media Content
Special Thanks To:
Marketing & Design Team at
Penguin Random House
Publisher
James Carbone
Photographer